Hopes and Dreams
by Dexette
Summary: Amalia and Liam are two young mutants created in a secret compound in south of France. They'd always lived a life of fights and tests until, one day, they escaped. A story about friendship, love, hopes and dreams.
1. I Where to?

Hey everybody. So here is my first chapter of my X-Men Movieverse fanfiction. I hope you'll like it as much as I liked writing it :)

**Disclamer: I only own my two original characters Amalia and Liam.**

I wanna say a huge thanks to my awesome beta reader, Luhverse that corrected my misspellings and errors and also helped me with other problems. I'm very thankful to her and the way she helped me. You're great, girl :)

Just so you know, my chapters titles have names of songs from bands, singers/artists or OSTs I really love.

"Where to?" is the title of a song from the OST of "The Wolverine" the movie and was writen by Marco Beltrami, Pete Anthony &Belinda Broughton. I listened to this song more than 130 times while writing the entire story :)

See you around for chapter two and don't forget to tell me what you thought about it ;)

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**I. Where to?**

Wet concrete, sticky mud, smoke from a burning house a few yards away; rain falling, washing their sins and making her pure again. She tried to steady her heart rate.

"They're gone." a young boy voiced his observation using English even though it wasn't his mother tongue. "I can't feel them anymore."

She nodded but didn't turn her face from the small cut of light that entered their shelter, allowing her to look outside the big stone walls that surrounded them without being seen. She knew he was right, he was always right. With that in mind, she lowered herself to back down into the dirty cave they had found in the mountain side.

"We're safe, for now." she told him in a whisper. "Try to get some sleep. I'll be on watch."

He nodded while shivering and she pulled him against her chest.

"It's gonna be okay, Liam." she said, rocking him in an effort to get him to relax. "Trust me. We're gonna be okay."

She felt him nodding against her chest, still shivering.

"You're cold."

He shook his head, trying to be as strong as he felt she was but failed.

"You can't fool me, little brother. I know you're cold."

Pressing his lips together, he looked down at his hands, feeling guilty and ashamed. She let a small laugh skim through her throat as she released him, and took off the long white lab gown she wore to put it on his thin shoulders.

"There. It will warm you up a little." she said before kissing his hair in an almost motherly way. "Try to get some sleep now. I don't know how long we have until we need to move again."

Liam nodded once more and lied down, resting his head on the nearest stone wall of their improvised shelter. His sister's gaze fell on him until she could hear his breathing relax. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt guilty for making him go through this whole situation, but she had to. She did it for him. She couldn't let him stay there. They were going to hurt him again. Breathing in deeply she pushed the memories back and looked through the thin loophole, her senses on high alert. Everything seemed quiet, but she didn't relax. She needed Liam to be safe so she narrowed her eyes and fought the sleepiness that crept over her limbs and mind. Half an hour passed before she needed to walk; she could feel pins and needles in her legs and arms. Careful not to wake her brother up, she rose from her spot and stretched herself. She really needed to walk. Closing her eyes she concentrated, feeling the tickling increase under her skin as she made her body invisible. Without a sound, she crept outside the cave and emerged on the construction site in front of the mountain. Even if she knew no one could see her, she looked around, analyzing the situation as a well-trained soldier would on a dangerous mission. The cave provided them a shelter from the rain and the wind. The location wasn't bad. The lack of trees would allow them to see anyone coming around, and water could be found in the worksite. She could hear people screaming around the burning house she accidently set on fire during their escape, but it didn't concerned her. The humans were too busy trying to put out the fire to look for those responsible. She sighed as the rain continued to pour, soaking her clothes through, but she didn't care. She liked it. She had lived in water most of her life and enjoyed the feeling. She knew Liam didn't. She knew it reminded him of the compound. A dog barked in the distance and she felt her muscles contract, surprised by the sound, ready to fight. The red light in her brain switched off as quickly as it had switched on. The creature was too far away to harm them and she let her body relax under the rain. She walked around the place, trying to figure out if there was some food to give Liam when he wakes up, not leaving the cave's entrance out of her sight just in case. Even if there wasn't any danger right now didn't mean they were safe.

'_Where and when will he ever be safe?'_ she asked herself, feeling sad for her little brother.

_She had to do it. She had to break the glass and escape from the compound. If it was only her, she would have stayed there. Pain, tests and training weren't so hard to live with. She could have dealt with it. But she couldn't stand to hear his screams anymore. She had watched him grown up on the other side of the room. She saw the miracle of life; day after day, the tiny point became a shape and the shape became a baby. Now he was a fourteen year old boy and she was sick of them torturing him. He wasn't fitting in during training. He wasn't built to fight or take blows like she did for most of her twenty five years. She was his sister, and she had to protect him. That was why she broke the glass pod she was standing in, surrounded by water, and fled with him. He wasn't scared of her. They had so many discussions in their minds while they waited between tests, they were almost Siamese twins. He had helped her, sharpening the rough edges of her mind. He taught her how to read, to increase her vocabulary, even to speak different languages. She could now conduct a casual conversation in six or seven different languages, thanks to him. Technical terms were the next step of her learning, but they escaped before the first lesson started._

She sat on a big concrete block and pushed away her memories once more. In front of her the sun was rising and the clouds were chased away by the rising wind. The rain stopped quickly after that and she sighed, feeling her body longing for the pouring water. Now she felt dry enough for her skin to crack even if she knew it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The house she'd set on fire wasn't burning anymore and she smiled, filled by a peaceful feeling. She didn't know why but she was afraid this accident would have hurt someone. She didn't like or hate humans. She had been trained to hate them, but the touch of Liam's mind on hers made her realize the feeling didn't come from her. She had been manipulated to think what they wanted her to think and her little brother had made a point to free her from it as quickly as he could. He had explained that love and hate were like colors. Black and white were the beginning and the end of the color wheel, but there was so many shades in between, the same can be said for emotions. She understood now, but it had been hard at first; she was too raw to feel something between the love she had for him or the staff, and the hate she had for the people outside the compound. A sound and a white shape in the field of her vision startled her, cutting the thread of her thoughts and she stood up quickly, arms raised and ready to fight.

_"Amalia? Where are you?"_ a voice in her head asked and she relaxed almost instantly.

She walked over to Liam and gently pushed him inside the cave where she followed before rearranging her molecules. As soon as he could see her, he threw himself into her arms, shivering as tears ran down his flawless cheeks.

"I thought you were taken." he whispered into her white hospital t-shirt. "I thought you let them take you to save me."

She smiled kindly and tightened her grip on him before gently stroking the hair on the back of his head.

"Don't worry. I'm here and I don't plan on going anywhere without you."

Liam's sobs stopped slowly as he hugged her so tightly she almost couldn't breathe; despite this, she didn't part from him. She stayed, waiting for him to calm down, not bothered by the pain she felt. It was a good pain. She could understand the difference now, thanks to him.

"Are you still cold?" she asked him in a low voice.

He shook his head and released her before handing the lab gown back to her. She put it on and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Can you feel anyone outside?" she asked while taking some documents on the ground.

They were sticky with mud, but the glazed paper was still intact behind the brown stains.

"There is a few people coming our way but none of them are here for us."

"Workers?"

He nodded, his eyes following her gaze to the sheets of papers.

"Okay. Here is the plan." she said before breathing in, her brain already in action. "You stay here and memorize this."

She handed him the documents that where between them and he took them without balking.

"I'm going to the village to find food and fresh clothes."

He looked up at her, his eyes widening at her words.

"I can't stay here on my own. What if someone comes and finds me?"

She smiled at him, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I won't be long. Plus I know you can make yourself invisible to them with that big brain of yours."

Liam smiled at her, before hugging her quickly.

"Be safe." he pleaded and she nodded.

"You too."

And with that she closed her eyes and disappeared slowly. Liam could hear the sounds her feet made as they hit the ground toward the cave's exit. He sighed and sat before lowering his gaze to the documents he still held. There were a lot of numbers and dates. It was some kind of log book filled with a lot of data about Amalia and him. He let his eyes wander over the page before reading the information, one line at a time. He took his time to memorize it all, as his sister had asked him. They were experiments, mutants fully grown in huge test tubes, meant to gather information about the X gene and how to combine and use the different result it could bring, to form a new body. It seemed to be part of a huge program called 'The X-Weapon: Stage Three. They were from the same strain. Their parents didn't have names like they did, they were only numbers, but for some weird reason he was named Liam and his sister was Amalia. Maybe he would find more answers in the other sheets of paper. Skimming through the data, he found something interesting but before he could read it all, a loud noise was heard from outside. He quickly looked up; his hands gripped the documents so tight his knuckles turned white. He panicked as he heard footsteps coming toward him. Closing his eyes hard he sent his brain waves to touch the one of the intruder. It was a man. He was about forty years old, give or take. The fear in Liam's body increased as he heard the man coming toward the entrance. But before he went inside the cave, he stopped, opening his pant zip. The teenage boy heard the worker sigh as he relieved himself before doing up his zip and walking away. It was Liam's turn to sigh. He was a pretty good sprinter but if someone discovered him in that cave, he would have nowhere to go. He would be trapped by the stone walls that surrounded him. Thankfully nothing else happened until Amalia crept through the tiny entrance of the cave. She handed him a red apple and some cooked meat he ate with great appetite. They'd been on the run for two days and didn't have time to steal something to eat. His sister waited for him to finish his meal before handing him a bag full of clothes.

"Where did you find that?" Liam asked her, amazed by what he saw.

His sister smiled at him and took his hand.

"There is an old woman in the village." she explained in a low voice, not to alert the workers outside. "She caught me stealing in the grocery store. At first I was afraid but she bought those for me and cooked the meat for you."

Liam's eyes were full of surprise.

"How could she see you?"

His words earned a new smile from the young woman.

"She is like us, Liam. Not as strong as us but still. She can see auras. That's how she caught me. She saw my aura and knew I was invisible."

Surprise gave its way to hope in the boy's look.

"Can she help us to find a safe place?"

Amalia's jaws tightened as she frowned.

"I don't think we should trust her that much. She may be like us, but sometimes mutants turn their back on each other for things like money or empty promises of a better life."

Liam's face darkened as he nodded. He knew she was right. He'd seen plenty of examples at the compound. Some of the staff members he used to like a lot suddenly changed their behavior after being offered a better position or more money on their pay slips. An uncontrollable shudder ran along his spine and he shook his head to push away the feeling.

"You're right. But maybe we could ask her to hide us for tonight. You need some sleep too."

Amalia opened her mouth to object but Liam raised his hand to silence her.

"It's been two days. Two days and you still haven't slept. Amalia, you need to rest. We don't know how our powers will react to exhaustion."

The young woman sighed. She knew he was right and she also knew she couldn't let him take the watch. It was too dangerous for him. She pressed her lips together, weighing the pros and cons before breathing out.

"Okay. You're right. We can ask her if she can let us stay one night."

Liam kindly smiled at her. He knew she felt wrong about trusting people because she was made to be on her guard seven days a week and twenty four hours a day. He also knew she was strong, but was she strong enough to carry on without sleeping during a week or a month? They didn't know her limits and he wasn't going to risk her life to find out. She was his only family. He'd always know it. Since the first time he could see her through the glass of their respective pods on the each side of the room. He could feel the bond between them as he grew older, becoming tighter with every day. It was like an acute awareness of each other. It allowed them to sense each other's presence within a short radius without even trying. At first he didn't know why he felt she was so important to him. He couldn't understand why he needed her to protect him, to hug him, to comfort him as a mother with her child. He wanted to feel her hair, to grab her hand, just to remind himself that she was real and not a creation of his own mind. He still remembered the first time they had talked.

_"Who are you?" he had asked her, using his mind to reach hers._

_Her eyes had opened suddenly and she had pressed her hands against the glass of her water filled pod in a desperate attempt of being closer._

_"Finally!" she had exclaimed, somehow relieved they could communicate. "I'm Amalia."_

_"Hello, Amalia. I'm Liam."_

_And from that moment they had shared countless talks. She was raw, like a stone that needed smothering in order to shine its true splendor. So he had looked into the scientists minds to gather information for her to learn and it had brought them closer. A month later he had been released out of his own pod for the first time and led to a huge and round arena, the walls were made of stones and the floor was sand. She had looked at him, eyes filled with joy at first, pleased to see him closer. But then fear had made its way through her guts and she had grabbed his hand quickly to lead him through the soon to be battle field. When she had found a safe spot for him to hide she released his hand and turned around, positioning her body to shield him._

_"Stay behind me." she had ordered him. "I'll keep you safe."_

_Even if he wouldn't have been gifted with a perfect memory, Liam would have always remembered this moment. Not because it was his first time out of his glass pod, but because it was the first time he had heard the true sound of his sister's voice._

The staff never knew they had shared this connection that had grown stronger every day. They were experiments and their only purpose was to fight, not to bond. But, like the documents he read earlier confirmed it, they had the same parents and somehow it seemed to be the reason of the bond they shared. Her hand on his face cut the thread of his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worried about the look in his eyes.

He nodded before standing up.

"So, what are we doing?"

She sighed and bit her lips, thinking.

"Okay. We are going to change our clothes and wait here for the night to come. When the workers will leave, we're going to find the old woman. How does it sound?"

Liam agreed and opened the plastic bag his sister had handed him earlier. They quickly changed into casual clothes before making themselves busy with the documents Amalia had stolen in the compound. They read through them several times, the young boy finishing memorizing it as his sister discovered the data for the first time. Liam sat in front of her, on the hard floor, his back on his sister's chest and Amalia had wrapped her limbs around him as a mother cuddling her child. She rocked him while they read and enjoyed the feeling of his hair on her cheek. It was the first time they could feel each other physically for more than a few seconds on the battle field of the arena. They were still in danger but it was quieter than the few times they touched in the compound. Once in a while, Amalia kissed her brother's hair, unable to suppress the urge to show him her affection and, every time, a small laugh or a sigh came through Liam's throat. When the night started to fall the young woman rose to her feet and stretched her sore limbs. She held her hand out for her brother to stand up and they gathered their things and left their shelter. Amalia made sure they didn't leave any traces before leading the way to the village. Once they reached the first buildings she stopped, making sure no one had followed them. Once she felt reassured, she headed toward the woman's house. It was an old house made of stones with large windows. At one time the stones must have been painted with dark yellow ochre. Now they look dirty with soil. Amalia walked up to the big brown door and knocked three times. A few seconds passed before the door opened slightly. It was dark behind the wooden panel and Liam couldn't see the woman's face, just the setting sun's light shimmer on her eyes. She seemed to recognize Amalia and opened the door wider.

"Oh, it's you. Come on in." she said in French, inviting them in as she let them entered the first room.

It was a large living room with a cozy light green sofa, a big black screen and a long coffee table between them. A small wooden table was placed in front of a window in a corner. It was covered with what seemed to be thick sheets of paper.

"I see you brought your brother. What's your name, kid?"

The teenage boy turned his eyes to her smiling face.

"I'm Liam." he answered, using the same language.

She nodded and gestured toward the couch for them to sit.

"Would you like some tea?"

Amalia looked to her brother for approval and, as he nodded, turned toward the old lady.

"Some tea would be great." she said, not even sure what tea was.

The two siblings sat on the sofa and let their gazes slide along the walls of the house. It was strange to be inside of a building with so many colors and things. The only room they knew was filled with a long table made of steel in his center and twelve huge pods made of glass and filled with water placed against the black iron walls. The only light came from spots in the pods and a big surgical lamp fixed on the ceiling. It made the center very bright while the edges were bathed in a dirty and greenish light. Thinking about this place made Amalia sick. She was an experiment, _right_. She had been fully grown in a giant test tube, _okay_. But to think of the conditions they were raised in made her want to puke. Placing a hand on her mouth she tried hard to prevent bile from rising in her throat. Liam placed a hand on his sister's leg and helped her. Brushing her mind with his, he calmed her and drew her attention to the present.

"Don't worry. It's okay. We're here now." he whispered to her.

Amalia took a deep breath, closing her eyes to stay focused as her brother hugged her tightly.

"Don't think about that place anymore." he carried on.

The young woman nodded before opening her eyes.

"Are you alright, girl?" the old woman asked as she walked toward them carrying a tray with three mugs, some spoons, a small white box and a teapot.

Amalia nodded once more, focusing on the tray their host was putting in front of them.

"I'm sorry. I only had one flavor." the woman informed them while filling their cups. "If I knew you were coming, I would have bought more this morning."

"Don't worry, ma'am." said Liam while taking his mug. "This is okay."

He watched their host take a sip from her cup, as to make sure it wasn't poisoned before mimicking her. The taste was strong and bitter and he saw a smile forming on the old woman's face.

"Here. Put some sugar in it. It will soften the taste." she advised him as she held the little white box for them.

Liam took two white grainy squares inside the box and put them into his drink before taking the spoon his host gave him.

"I see the clothes look good on you." she kindly said with a smile.

"We can't thank you enough for it, ma'am." Amalia told her after taking a sip of her own drink.

"If you want to repay me, start calling me Odile." she said gently. "But if I may ask, you didn't come here to thank me, I am wrong?"

The two young guests felt guilty to ask for more after all she's done for them.

"We… We would like to… to ask you… if we could possibly stay here… tonight." Amalia said before biting her lower lip.

"Of course you can." she answered the young woman with a growing smile. "It will be good to have some young people around. It's been too long since friends and family came to visit me."

While she was talking, Liam scanned her thoughts to find evidence of any threat, but find none.

"You can trust me, little one." Odile said while turning her gentle eyes to Liam. "You don't have to read my thoughts to be sure."

"I'm sorry. It's just we…"

"You're on the run. I can see that. Do you know some place you'll be safe?"

Both Amalia and Liam shook their heads.

"Okay, you can stay here as long as you need. You can repay me by doing chores, if it makes you feel better." the old woman told them. "And when you're in better shape, I'll take you some place safe. It's a school for people like us. That's where my son goes for his studies. It's in another country, but I know someone who can get you there."

The two siblings nodded and thanked her before being lead to the bathroom to get rid of the dust and mud they were covered in. Once they bathed, Odile cut their hair and gave them pajamas for the night. They ate and went to bed in Odile's son's bedroom. As their host switched off the light she informed them her bedroom was across the hall.

"If you need anything, just call me."

Amalia and her brother thanked the woman once more before laying down. They waited for Odile to close the door of her bedroom before turning to their side, facing each other.

"She is okay." Liam said, aware of his sister's worries. "She won't be any threat to us. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

Liam nodded before taking his sister in his arms.

"Sleep now. You need to rest."

He placed a kind kiss on her hair and waited for Amalia's breath to relax before closing his eyes. Listening to the quiet noises of the house, it didn't take long until he fell asleep.


	2. II Trusting

Hi everyone. I hope you will enjoy this second chapter as much as I liked writing it :) The third one is almost corrected so it will be online soon , thanks to my awesome beta reader, Luhverse that, once again, did amazing job here. She is the best :D

As I already said it at the end of the previous chapter, the chapters titles have names of songs from bands, singers/artists or OSTs I really love.

Like the one before, "Trusting" is the title of a song from the OST of "The Wolverine" the movie and was writen by Marco Beltrami, Pete Anthony &Belinda Broughton. I like it but not as much as the previous one. The title was just matching the major idea of the chapter, that's why I chose it.

Chapter three is on its way, don't worry ;) See you there :D

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**II. Trusting.**

Silence and a delicious smell woke them up. Amalia was wrapped around her brother's smaller form, pressed against her, his head on her left arm. She loosened her hold on him, afraid she might have choked him during the night. But he smiled at her, now awake and very alive

"Good morning, Liam." she whispered, her eyes following the edges of his face.

"Good morning, Amalia." he answered her before yawning making her chuckle.

He smiled at her again while looking at her as she was now detailing him; taking the time to look at him properly as he did the same with her. The pale skin of her face seamed soft and was covered with a few little freckles; his was light pink, smooth and flawless, like the one of a baby. Her eyes were light blue, catching the light but impressively cold when not looking at her brother; his were a little darker, stealing the light instead of retrieving it and filled with compassion and understanding. She had wavy soft and glossy coppery hair that looked like a giant flame when lit from behind; his was unruly and dirty blond, almost light chestnut brown sometimes. She seemed to have a slightly higher forehead than his but it may be due to her age. Their little turned-up noses were the same, an exact replica on each face; like they were coming from the same mold. She had a sensual mouth with plain lips; his was a naturally smiling one with thinner lips. They also had the same round chin. They had plenty of time to look at each other inside of the compound; unfortunately they had been too far away to really see the details, like the long lashes underlining Amalia's gaze and the tiny brown mole Liam had under his left eye. The clear sound of some eating utensil against a plate, in the distance, broke this contemplative moment. Turning both their head toward it in the same time they felt their muscles tighten. Ready to fight, the young woman quickly got away from the bed and put herself between her brother and the door.

"Kids?" Odile's voice came from the kitchen, downstairs. "Time for breakfast!"

Amalia relaxed her body but stayed focus. This house was an illusion of safety. She felt weirdly numb from sleeping in a warm bed, more accustomed to the soundless and gravity free rest of the water in her glass pod. She had to admit, this bed was a gift compared to the hard stone floor of the cave they were in before asking for Odile's help; but she somehow missed the giant test tube she grew up in. The tug of her brother's hand in hers brought her from her thoughts and she followed without complaining.

"Hello there." Odile's warm voice and honest smile greeted them as soon as they entered the large kitchen. "Did you sleep well?"

They both nodded, Liam more sincere than she was but it didn't matter because as long as he was happy and okay everything else was not important. She could deal with her discomfort later; she was used to a rough life made of tests, pain and fights. They sat at the round little table placed in the center of the room as Odile put plates full of food on it.

"What is this called?" Liam asked, always eager to learn more things.

"It's crêpes, my dear. It needs flour, eggs, milk, butter and flavorful ingredients if you want to make them for a sweet meal or a salty one." Their host said before explaining him how to make them.

She had understood he was a quick learner and that he didn't need things to be written down to memorize them.

"It's good. Isn't it, Amalia?" he turned toward his sister as he wanted to know her opinion.

The young woman nodded silently and watched how Odile ate hers. She had put some brown paste on the first one and a red jelly like on the second.

"This is called Nutella." she said pointing at the brown one. "It's a cocoa and hazelnut paste. And this is strawberry jam. Try some."

They did as they were told, discovering a whole new world of flavors.

"You never had this kind of food where you come from." Odile stated, painfully.

Both the siblings shook their heads in negation; Amalia tried to remember if she ever ate real food in the compound. But she could only find memories of plastic bags full of liquids, sometimes colorful and sometimes not, the staff used to connect with their glass pod. Yesterday was the first time she ate an apple or had some meat and vegetables, and she didn't remember the names. Today she realized that she liked the sweet food the best. It looked like it was a family trait as Liam ate every crepe he had in his plate with the red jam or the brown paste with great pleasure.

"You'll be in better shape in no time with this kind of food." Odile assured them. "But don't eat too much or you'll get fat."

Hearing her word, even if the light tone their guest used meant she was joking, Amalia pushed her plate away without finishing it.

"Thank you, it was great. But I think I'm full." she said, not to concern the woman in front of them.

The young woman would have surely eaten more of her food if the threat of getting fat hadn't been put on the table. Her appearance wasn't something that concerned her much, but getting fat also meant getting slow and having trouble moving and then fighting. Even if she could rearrange her molecules to look the way she wanted, the process needed energy and focus she couldn't afford to waste. She needed every part of her concentration and power on a battle field. Losing focus would put Liam in great danger, so she'd rather forgo sweet food than lose her only family. Her brother didn't seem feared by the threat. He even offered to finish her plate. Amalia nodded silently. She liked the thought of her food in his belly better than on her hips. Odile watch them the whole time, her eyes full of mixed amazement and sadness. When Liam had licked the last stains on his plate she guided them to the bathroom where she handed them a set of toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste before showing them how to brush their teeth. After they did as she taught, they took a quick shower and dressed. Odile showed them how to wash the dishes and to use a broom, a vacuum cleaner and a washing machine. The day passed quickly between chores and little lessons she improvised for them. They cooked under her instructions and ate before going to bed, exhausted in a good way. The next day was similar in many points and somehow different. The old lady never asked them embarrassing questions. She thought they were going to tell her what they went through when they'll be ready. She made a couple of call while her guests were watching the television, amazed by the entertainment channels and the informative ones. When she came back from the kitchen, she watched Amalia doing push-ups and fighting moves while her eyes were on the TV. Being safe also meant growing soft and that wasn't a thing she could afford. Around seven in the afternoon, she called them to teach them new recipes and informed them they will have a guest on the next day. Amalia body went stiff at her words.

"He will make identification documents for both of you." the old lady explained. "You will have to carry those papers around you all the time. To the government, they will be the proof you are registered somewhere, even if you are not, and the authorities won't bother you."

The young woman nodded to show her host she understood the significance of the process they'll go through.

"You'll need to have a last name." Odile carried on, setting the table quietly. "Do you have one?"

The two siblings exchanged a worried look. They only were given first name. Amalia thought of the documents she had stolen from the compound. Maybe they will find something in it they didn't see at first, even if she doubted that.

"If you don't, I can give you mine." the old lady said in a calm voice, not to startle them. "I can say you are my niece and nephew from my husband side."

Slightly narrowing her eyes, Amalia searched through the old lady's eyes looking for an answer to the question that whirled in her head.

"Why?" she finally asked, as she couldn't find what she was looking for.

Odile shrugged. She made this proposition without thinking. Those two kids were lost in a world they didn't know and it broke her heart.

"Maybe… maybe it's because I have a son just like you." she tried to analyze. "And if he would have been in your situation I would have been glad someone would have done this kind of things to put him out of trouble and in a place where he could be safe."

"But if you do that, give us your last name I mean, you'll be as much in danger as us!" Amalia exclaimed. "I don't want to drag other people into this situation."

The old lady walked toward the young redhead.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to do if it keeps you two safe." she said as she laid a gentle hand on Amalia's shoulder. "The consequences are a small price to pay to save our kind and as I said, I'm willing to do it if it helps you."

"But you can't." Liam said in a sad tone. "If you do it and the guards found you they'll kill you. And if they kill you, your son will lose his mother."

The words of the teenager confirmed her worst fear. They didn't escape from an unhappy family; they were trying to flee from guards, soldiers even. That could mean only one thing, they were experiments. Kids locked up with humans conducting trials on them. The fighting moves of Amalia didn't fool the old lady. They had been trained; and for what purpose? She could only assume they were going to be the next stage of soldiers; mutant soldiers, made for killing their own kind. Odile shivered at the thought but kept her face calm. If she was going to die, she'd rather do it to protect the kids and all of the mutants they would have killed when they would have been trained enough to do so.

"It's gonna be okay, kids. Don't worry about me."

But the two siblings shook their head in the same time.

"No, Odile." Amalia finally said after sharing a look with her brother. "We're going to find another way. We can't put you in much danger you are already in for helping us hide."

The old lady sighed, being defeated by the strong will of the two kids in front of her.

"Okay." she told them kindly. "Do as you think it will be best. But don't forget I'm here to protect you if you can't find a better way."

They both nodded once again and she watched Liam come toward her before encircling her with his thin arms.

"Thank you." he told her. "You may find my words odd, but you're the closest thing we have to a mother."

She smiled and shuffled the already disheveled head of the young boy.

"You're welcome. Now get back to the pan or our meat will burn." she joked before placing a soft kiss on the top of his forehead.

The two siblings finished cooking and they ate in silence. Liam's brain was busy with thoughts as the sheets of paper they brought from the compound flipped in his head. They finished their meal and watched a movie before going to bed. As they were lying on the soft mattress, Amalia on her belly, they went through all the data of their files. Maybe there was something they missed, even if it was unlikely. After fifty long minutes, they settled for the better solution. They had chosen the name of the head scientist of the program, Dr. Elizabeth Lewis. In a way that woman was, if not their mother, the woman who had raised them. They switched the lights off and hugged each other before dozing off to sleep, tired from the chores, the training and the ungodly hour. They slept well even if a few nightmares crept into Amalia's brain during the night. She woke up early and did some exercises before going to the shower and dressing herself. She found the recipe of a chocolate cake in one of Odile's books and baked one. She stayed in front of the oven, reading a story book along with a dictionary. There were words she still couldn't understand but she found it quite entertaining and it helped her remember the vocabulary she gathered here and there along the heroine's adventures. Things were still weird for her to understand; concepts as studies or job, even money. She knew the power of money, but she didn't understand why people invented it. She had to ask this to Liam. He would explain it with images and thoughts when people couldn't put words on them. It was the beauty of it. His powers made him a great teacher and he was always very patient and understanding. He loved to gather as much information he could but liked as much to teach the things he learned to people. She heard him chat with Odile on the previous day as they were sharing ideas and she seemed to enjoy the talk as much as he did. A little clear sound rung in the air and Amalia left her books on the kitchen table, making sure they weren't stained with the flour or dough that was left on the lacquered wooden surface. She put gloves on before retrieving the cake from the oven with great care. The sun had been up for a few hours now and she was trying to get the food out of its mold when she heard footsteps. Amalia's body went still, she even stopped breathing. Retreating in a dark corner of the room she waited, ready to jump on the intruder. But when she saw Odile's face as she put a hand in front of her mouth to yawn, Amalia came outside of her hiding spot, making small noises not to surprise her host.

"Oh! Hello Amalia. I was wondering what smelled so good. You did great." the old lady commented as she looked at the cake on the table. "Maybe you should work in a bakery to earn some money when you find somewhere to live peacefully."

Amalia smiled at her and shrugged.

"Let's try this." Odile said as she took a knife to cut the cake. "It smells really good. You found the recipe in one of my books?"

"Yes, I thought I should try to make something to thank you and to learn how to cook sweet meal."

The young woman sat at the table and watched Odile as she bit into the piece she took for herself. Her eyes were closed and happiness was relaxing the muscles of her face. She was beautiful but she would have been more so when she was younger. The redhead let her thoughts wander, wondering what her mother would have looked like. She only was a number on a sheet of paper but she had been a real person. Maybe she also had been grown in a test tube like Liam and her. But this woman should have had a mother, so she had a grandmother. Was she an experiment too? Or had she been captured and killed, or released after they took the samples of her genes they needed. Maybe she was still alive, somewhere, and didn't know she had a child and grandchildren. Another string of thoughts started on the other side of this canvas. What about her father?

"Sweetie? Are you okay?" Odile's warm voice pulled her back to the present. "What is bothering you?"

Amalia's shy smile had given away to a little frown. She looked down at her hands, resting on the table, now covered by the wrinkled one of the old lady. For the first time in her life, Amalia felt water pouring from her eyes on her cheeks. She got up as fear clung to her entire being.

"What… what is happening to me?" she almost yelled.

Odile made a step toward her, both her hand raised and opened to show her she wasn't a threat. When she was close enough, she took the shivering body of the young woman in her arms.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay. You're crying. It happens when you're sad or upset, or even angry. Everybody cries." the old woman said in a low voice, stroking the girl's red hair gently. "Didn't you cry before?"

"She did." Liam's voice said behind them as he came toward the two women. "She cried a lot when she heard my screams. But she couldn't see it of feel it in the water."

Odile's eyes widened. She was unable to put all the pieces of this odd jigsaw together. The image it made was too horrific for her to look at. She turned her attention back to the girl in her arms and rocked her, waiting for her to relax, to calm herself.

"There. It's over. You're safe, Amalia." she carried on, whispering into her ear until the sobs finally stopped.

When her cries quieted, Odile helped her to sit back on her chair and Liam encircled her with his thin arms.

"I cried when I woke up alone in the cave on her first night here." he said to her, gently. "Don't you remember?"

Amalia's head nodded, her look full of tiredness.

"But my clothes where wet." she whispered, remembering the image of her little brother in her arms, shivering. "And I didn't see the… the drops."

"I know." he said. "They are called tears."

She looked up, her eyes searching his for more love and comfort.

"I… I thought about our mother and father." she explained as Liam dried her tears with the back of his hands, his eyes not leaving hers. "I was wondering if… if they had parents and if their parents knew they had children. I was wondering if we had grandparents and if they were still alive somewhere…"

Her last words were whispers only Liam could decipher.

"I know." he said, once again. "I heard."

She buried her head into his thin chest and sighed in this small warm center they had created.

"We have no way to find that on our own." he carried on gently. "We can ask for help in this place Odile's had talked about."

Against his stomach, his sister's head nodded.

"But we have each other." he said stroking her hair. "And that's the only thing that matters now."

She nodded again before taking a deep breath and parted slightly from him.

"You're right." she told him in a stronger voice. "We'll find some help later, first we have to go to this place."

Liam gently kissed her forehead before she smiled at him.

"You should take a shower. I'll keep a piece of cake warm for you." Amalia said while pushing him toward the stairs.

"Be quick." Odile add in a light tone. "Or I'll eat everything."

She let a small laugh escape her mouth as she watched the boy's shoulders shook with laugher while he took the stairs.

"You're both amazing." she added toward Amalia, turning her sweet old eyes to her. "You seemed to have a great coordination. You protect him physically and he heals your mind."

Amalia nodded.

"I'm very lucky to have a brother this kind and smart."

She smiled lightly as she let a small silence grew in the room before becoming serious again and carried on.

"If it wasn't for him I would still be _there_. And I would miss a lot of new experiences."

Odile's eyes didn't leave Amalia ones.

"What do you mean by _'if it wasn't for him.'_?" the old lady asked, her question opened enough for Amalia to tell as much as she wanted to.

The young woman took a deep breath and turned her gaze toward the stairs.

"They were doing some experiments on him when I… I broke the glass that was keeping us apart." she started to tell. "I took his hand, some things I thought useful, and we ran."

A new silence flew in the room. Odile was waiting for her guest to gather herself.

"They made him scream and I couldn't take it anymore." Amalia carried on after another deep breath. "If it wasn't for him I would have stayed there."

Odile's old hand on hers seemed to stroke not only her skin but also her soul.

"You're right. You're very lucky to have him." she repeated the redhead's words on purpose.

"Yes, we are."

And with that Amalia closed the path to her heart and straitened herself. She took the big knife on the table a cut a few pieces from the cake before putting it back into the switched off oven to keep it warm. Looking at her busy hands, as Amalia put the three plates on the table, Odile played with the cover of the book that was lying on lacquered wooden surface.

"Why did you choose this?" the old lady asked, turning her gaze to the book Amalia had started while waiting for the cake to finish cooking.

Amalia shrugged, not really sure.

"At first I picked a random book. Then I read the title, saw the picture and read the summary on the back cover."

Odile nodded before asking again:

"Do you like it?"

The redhead sat and took a spoon before cutting her piece of cake with it, slowly.

"Yes. I like the story and the characters so far. That's not very realistic but I guess it's the point."

The old lady nodded while skimming through the pages.

"Yes. We called that a fantasy or a tale. It's a story with a lot of magic." she said as her look slide on the lines. "It's usually written for children. My son liked it really much when he was a kid."

The redhead gulped the cake she was chewing and asked:

"How old is he?"

A warm smile took place on Odile's lips, her eyes staring into space.

"Marc is almost twenty four. He is a great man, always ready to help anyone even if he gets hurt in the process."

Amalia smiled at her words.

"That sounds just like someone I know." she said lightly.

Her statement made Odile laugh softly.

"What are his powers?"

The old lady ate some of her cake before answering.

"He is a healer, like his father was. That uses a lot of his energy but he also can _resurrect_ people if they are not gone for too long. I was the one who send him in the school I talked you about. He needed help to control his abilities."

Amalia nodded and stayed silent until Liam came back from the bathroom. She served him a piece of cake from the oven and watched him eat in silence. Odile went to take a shower and get ready for the guest that would come in an hour. The two siblings did some cleaning in the kitchen and washed the dishes quickly before sitting on the living room couch. Liam watched some informative channels while Amalia read her book in silence, only breaking it to ask for explanations of words from her brother. When the old lady came from the bathroom she found them there, waiting for her to give them something to do, but she didn't. Instead she pulled an easel from her office and some brushes and paint. There was nothing else to do than wait. Feeling numb from reading too long, Amalia got up and started to do some push-ups. She needed her head to be clear and her reflexes to be sharp. After a few minutes she asked Liam to join her, showing him some moves, punching an imaginary enemy in front of her, jabbing and throwing uppercuts. The young boy watched her first, memorizing her moves like choreographies before mimicking her. She nodded when he did fine, correcting him when she needed to. Then she made him jump and duck quickly as she threw her fists and feet at him to make him learn how to dodge attacks. The game lasted almost half an hour before she had him stop.

"You need more stamina and strength. From today we will start our days with some running and exercises. You need to learn how to defend yourself in case I'm too far away to help you or if I'm…"

She didn't finish her sentence, letting the words hung in the air. For Odile, the threat in this statement felt as real and terrifying as the young woman felt it herself. Liam just nodded at her words, not complaining. He was aware of their situation and that meant they couldn't get soft. She was going to make a fighter out of him or they'll have troubles in the future. No one knew when the soldiers from the compound would put their hands on them. She let Liam dry the sweat that was running along his face while she carried on with her own moves. She couldn't stop, picturing the arena in her head. Several soldiers were in front of her and she had to protect Liam, like the first time he was thrown into the big circle of concrete in the open air. She remembered it like it was yesterday, still hearing the muffled sound he made when she took the blows in the jaw, making her ears ring and ripping her lower lip open. This injury was since long cured but she remembered every blow she took to protect him like they were made on her soul and not her body. Odile was looking at her with concerned eyes. She didn't know what was in the girl's mind but she could see she was pushing herself too hard. The old lady was about to tell her to stop and to rest for a few seconds, ready to get her a glass of water, when someone knocked on the door. She watched Amalia freezing her moves and holding her breath.

"Relax, girl. It's Father Dupond." she said after a quick glance at the clock. "He is here for the papers, you remember?"

Amalia let her right hand drop along her body, catching her breath and took the drink her brother had brought her. She absorbed back the drops of sweat, that were sliding against her skin and in her hair, back into her body as she drank her glass in three long gulps and put it on the table while Odile opened the door.

"Hello Father. Come in." she said as she invited the man, who wore a black priestly robe, to enter her house.

"Hello Odile. I'm glad you called me. Is that the children?"

She nodded and gestured toward the couch for him to sit.

"So kid, what's your name?" he asked to the boy.

"I'm Liam. And this is my sister, Amalia." the teenager said while sitting next to the man.

The red head narrowed her eyes, trying to remember if she had already seen his face in the compound but she never saw him in her life. He seemed to be clear but she stayed in alert, just in case.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Father Stéphane Dupond. I'm here to help you with some identification papers. You'll have to answer some questions for me to make them. Is that okay?"

Both of the siblings nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay, let's get this started." he said as he took a small note pad from a pocket in his black robe.

During a long hour he asked them questions most of them Amalia and Liam couldn't answer. Place and date of birth, first and last name, name of the parents, height, and weight. Once he got his answers, some of them made up and some real, he took a camera from a brown leather satchel and took some pictures of their unsmiling faces as they sat still in front of one of the white walls of the house. He left after eating with them as he promised to the two siblings their identification papers will be ready the next day. Amalia and Liam thanked him and watched him leave the house. The young woman was worried, not sure they should trust him, but he had said their secret was safe with him. The afternoon went slowly and by the time they headed to bed, Liam told his sister he felt guilty to drag another person with them in this situation. The red head assured him they will leave as soon as they have their IDs. If the staff of the X-Weapon program came to the village when they'll be gone, no harm will be done to Father Dupond and Odile. The teenager sighed and cuddled into her arms. They talked a little more about the school and dozed off for the third time in this place.


	3. III The hunted

Hey everyone. Back again after only a few minutes. You can all send your thanks to Luhverse because she did an amazing job once again. She corrected 3 chapters in a row, so you'd better thank her XD Love ya, girl ^^

Once again, I hope you will like this chapter :) The title of the chapter: 'The hunted' is the name of a song by Snow Ghosts I discovered while watching the TV show 'Teen Wolf'. I got quite fond of their music and the name was perfectly matching the idea of the chapter, so that's why I used it.

See you for the next chapter, and please don't forget to give me feedbacks for me to improve my writing :D

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**III. The hunted.**

Father Dupond didn't lie. The next day Odile retrieved a small brown envelope from her mailbox which contained two passports and laminated ID cards. She gave them to the siblings with a soft smile and told them to follow her to the closest mall. She bought clothes for them, some books she knew would please both of them as well as two cheap mp3 players. Once their errands done they got back to the old lady's house and packed their stuff as well as the papers Amalia had stolen from the compound. They loaded their luggage into her car before getting climbing in themselves. She drove them to the airport and bought them tickets for New York.

"I called Marc this morning, as well as Professor Xavier. He is the one who runs the school. Marc assured me he will be there to pick you up at the airport when you land." she told them.

Amalia and Liam nodded before thanking and hugging her.

"Anytime, kids." she said with a warm smile. "Have a safe trip and don't forget to call me when you get to the school."

They thanked her some more and after checking their baggage, they walked toward the departure lounge. After almost an hour of waiting, reading some of the books Odile bought for them, they finally boarded the plane with no trouble. The nine hour flight went slowly and the siblings read and slept during most of it. It was 09:47 P.M. when they landed in JFK airport and grabbed their bags from the baggage reclaiming. Amalia was on alert, looking through the crowd, searching for the well-known faces or moves from soldiers or guards but no one attacked them. The walked out of the huge building to find a young man around her age she'd seen in some photos at Odile's house. He was handing a small sign with their names on it. Still scanning their surrounding for threats, the redhead walked toward him, her right arm around her brother's shoulders. As she was a few steps from Marc, she froze. Her eyes had analyzed the man behind him as a potential threat. She dropped her bags and quickly raised her arms, looking frantically around her for more enemies but find none.

"Amalia, right? I'm Marc." the young man said while folding his sign and coming toward her.

He extended his hand for her to shake it but she didn't take it, her eyes never leaving the big guy behind him. He was built like a wardrobe, arms and legs thick with muscles under his clothes. The nice black leather jacket he was wearing on top of a blue flannel shirt, cling to his upper limbs as if it couldn't contained it all. Dark aviator sunglasses were covering his eyes and made him look like one of those bad-asses in some American spy movies she watched in Odile's living room. His hair was black as a moonless night without stars and shaped in two pikes from each side of his head, like a big V or W; long hairy sideburns ran along his jaws, . He moved like a soldier, trained to minimize the stamina loss in order to use all of his strength in the right time. This man was casually smoking on a lit cigar, smiling lightly at her behavior. As he saw what had bothered the redhead, Marc smiled.

"Don't mind him. Mr. Howlett is one of our teachers at Professor Xavier's school." The young man said. "He will not harm you. The Professor sent him to keep us safe in case something happened."

Amalia dropped her arms along her slim body but didn't lose her focus. He may not be a threat right now, but that didn't mean he couldn't be one later. She grabbed the two bags she had dropped on the floor and pushed her brother toward her.

"The car is in the parking lot." Marc said, showing them the way. "Follow me."

The siblings did as they were told and walked toward a black Toyota Hilux. They loaded their luggage in the trailer and hopped in the back seats. Mr. Howlett took the wheel and Marc sat at his side, buckling his belt. They drove off and left the airport to enter the thick traffic of New York City.

"Fucking cars." the driver said in a growl as the vehicles around them were slowing their speed. "Why couldn't you take a ticket plane to the county airport of Westchester?"

"Marc's mother was kind enough to buy our tickets. I wasn't going to complain it wasn't close enough to the school." Amalia shoot back at him.

This man was making her nervous and she thought he knew it. What was he, another mind reader? A look toward her brother and she knew he wasn't.

"Don't go there, kid!" Howlett said looking at Liam threw the rear-view mirror, pointing at his own forehead, almost threatening. "Mind your own business."

Amalia's brother retreated to the back of his seat, his gaze on his knees. His sister put a protective arm around his shoulder and a frown on her lips.

"Don't scare him. You don't know what he's been through!" she spat back.

Her words brought a creepy grin on the man's lips and he chewed at his cigar some more. She didn't like him. He was all she had been trained to fight and nervousness crept in her guts as adrenaline pumped its way into her veins.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you." he said, his gaze on hers through the mirror as the car stopped at a traffic light. "But keep him out of my head or else."

Amalia tightened her jaws.

"Or else what?"

The creepy grin returned.

"You don't want to find out, kid. Trust me."

She threw him a deadly look and turned her head to Liam, stroking his hair and hugging him. Looking through the window, she saw the landscape as the car speed up on Highway 678. Half an hour later, they'd passed Queens, the Bronx and Mont Vernon in an awkward silence. The buildings gave way to trees and green landscapes. At some point, Mr. Howlett turned left to take Highway 684 and carried on driving at the fastest speed the signs could allow him to. The road followed Rye Lake's shore, then Byram Lake reservoir and Muscoot Reservoir.

"We're almost there." Marc said, turning to look at the siblings, one minute after they'd been under Jay Street's bridge.

Amalia took her sight off the glittering water. The moon reflecting on it had made the view almost hypnotic. A grunt from their driver set the young redhead's alarms on.

"What is it?" Marc asked.

"You see this car?" Howlett said, throwing quick glances at the rear-view mirror.

There was a huge black SUV a few yards from them, not really speeding up nor slowing down.

"What about it?" Amalia said.

"They are following us since we left JFK." he answered, not beating around the bush.

"Are you sure?" she asked him, turning to see the big vehicle through the rear-window.

Adrenaline was pumping again and her sight was clear, focus. She was ready to fight.

"Can't be more sure, kid." he said in a deep voice. "I'm going to pull over in a few seconds. Get ready."

Wrapping her arms around her brother's shoulder and protecting his head with hers, she waited for the shock. As she planned it, they were pulled against her door but her back took most of the blow. Liam was safe. They got outside the car as quickly as they could and the young woman analyzed their surroundings; a patch of grass and a thick cover of trees that could make a good escape if Liam needed to hide.

"Run!" Mr. Howlett yelled as he planted his feet into the ground, facing the road, the leather covering his arms squeaking as his muscles contracted. "Run as fast as you can."

Amalia pushed Liam toward Marc.

"You go with Marc. I'm staying to make sure they don't catch you."

"No, kid!" Howlett yelled again as the black SUV pulled over as well. "Let me handle this!"

But the young redhead shook her head as she came to his side.

"Oh no. Not a chance!" she said as she steadied her muscles. "I'm not running again!"

She raised her hands and clenched her fists as six people poured out of the vehicle. They looked like simple army soldiers but Amalia knew better. They raised their weapons at them and one of the guards stepped up and said:

"Ok Amalia. You don't have to run if you don't want to. We have a nice and warm place for you back at home. Don't worry. We won't hurt Liam or your friends."

The redhead narrowed her eyes.

"How did you find us?" she spat angrily.

"You know, Doctor Lewis really misses you two." he carried on, not answering her question.

"I don't give a fuck!" she yelled. "Leave us alone!"

"Language, kid!" Mr. Howlett growled without looking at her. "You heard the kid? Leave them alone, or else."

The soldier smiled and asked:

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'm coming for you, bub!" answered Howlett through gritted teeth as six metal claws popped out with a light '_shink' _from above his knuckles; three on each hand.

"Kill him!" the captain yelled raising his own gun.

Mr. Howlett threw himself at them, not caring about the bullets that flew toward them; dodging some, taking others. Amalia closed her eyes quickly and disappeared out of the soldiers' sight. She ran toward them, shifting the molecules of her hands to shape them into two hard blades of steel. The right one landed with a disgusting sound into the closest guards' stomach as the other pushed away his weapon. Smell of blood filled the cold air of the night as some ended on her clothes. But right now she didn't care. The only thing in her mind was that Liam had to be safe. She got in the back of another soldier and stuck her right blade into his neck with an almost surgical strike.

"She's invisible!" the captain yelled. "Watch out, she could be anywhere!"

Another soldier met her blade shaped fist and collapsed with a scream as he gripped his right side, red thick liquid pouring out of the wound.

"Three more to go." Amalia said next to Mr. Howlett's left side.

The tall professor was dealing with one of their biggest enemies and slashed the thigh of his opponent with ease. A bullet landed in his chest and he let out a deep, low growl before cutting the man's head as well as his weapon.

"Not bad." Amalia joked through gritted teeth. "What about this!"

She launched herself at the captain, and ran around him while making small moves with her wrists, cutting his flesh as easily as butter. She danced around him, creating a weird pattern of cuts as she lightly appeared under the blood stains that covered her. She smiled a creepy grin while sticking her right blade into her target's stomach before running it up toward his head. The captain landed on the ground, gurgling as the red vital fluid poured from his mouth and his torso. The last guard's chest met Mr. Howlett's left claws as the tall professor plunged them deep into his opponent's lungs before cutting his head with a prefect blow of his right ones. Turning to the young woman, he saw a ghost of blood as she finished the not quite dead soldiers, shoving her blades into their throats, red hot velvet liquid spraying over her face and clothes.

"The more I waited for them, the more I became nervous." she said as she sifted her molecules back to visible. "I'd rather have a fist to fist talk than none."

"I'll remember that." was Howlett's only comment as he let his claws sunk back into his arms.

Amalia spat the blood she had in her mouth on the ground before turning to the tall professor.

"Do you have some water?" she asked with a disgusted frown over her lips.

Mr. Howlett motioned his thumb toward his car behind him and watched her hands shifting back from the blade shape to her long and thin fingers.

"I'll go get the kids." he said, walking toward the trees as the redhead made her way back to the pick-up.

The tall professor entered the trees cover and called at Marc to get back at the vehicle.

"It's over. Don't worry. Your sister and I took care of the bad guys." he added as he caught Liam's eyes behind a wall of green leafs.

The teenage boy got down from his hiding spot and walked toward the young redhead. She had drank most of the water bottle but handed it to her brother who took it and gave it to Mr. Howlett.

"Thanks, kid." he said after sipping a little of the remaining water. "We better get going or Chuck will send us some unneeded back up."

They all nodded and hopped into the car as fast as they can.

"Why are they hunting you down?" Howlett asked the redhead as they were hitting the road again.

He threw glances at her through the rear-view mirror, waiting for an answer. But Amalia gave none.

"I'll only speak to Professor Xavier." she stubbornly said a minute later to make him stop looking at her. "Focus on the road."

Her words made him laugh lightly, a thing she wouldn't have thought he was capable of. The sound was rich, warm and a little husky, making her guts squeeze without knowing why.

"It's alright. Everyone has his little secrets." he said casually, a hand playing with the edge of his wife-beater as he was missing something he had worn during a long time.

The next twelve minutes of the ride were quiet but as she saw the glances he was throwing at her reflection, Amalia knew better. Curiosity was a strong and dangerous thing and she didn't want to please this man until he proved himself worthy. They'll talk to the professor and she'll judge if they will be safe enough before settling in. For now they were still on the run, even if they seemed to have some allies. But that may not last. They finally passed a huge iron gate and after a long gravel path, they pulled over in front of a big mansion that seemed full of life even though the car clock showed 11:44 P.M. Both of the siblings got out of the car and took their bags before following Mr. Howlett.

"I'm going to call my mum to tell her you're safe and sound." Marc said while entering the imposing and elegant building.

They were only a few feet behind him and Mr. Howlett led them through the maze of dark and luxurious old wainscoted corridors. Amalia couldn't help but notice how the tall professor was walking in those hallways. She felt like he owned the place as much as he despised its posh appearance. He was more than a guest to the place and she could decipher he had once been like them, a raw stranger into this fancy world. Their path crossed many children and teenagers. A few bowed slightly their heads at the tall man and some at them, others ignored him. She could almost find slight sparkles of fear in the looks of any of the last. But nobody stopped them, simply looking, curious, at the bloodstained newcomers. They ended their walk in front of a slightly open door. It was nothing particular; the wooden panel looked like many they'd seen on their way here but the tall man leading them straightened his body, head high, and knocked one simple time on it.

"Ah, Logan, I was waiting for you. Please, come in." a warm voice said from the other side of the door.

They stepped in a spacious office, floor covered by cream carpet, soft and smooth under the sole of their shoes. Two long windows were opened at each side of a large desk, allowing the fresh air of the night to enter the room and cooling it a little, heavy thick curtains waving in the little breeze. The other walls were covered by shelves full of books and Amalia's eyes widened for half a second, almost unnoticeable for an untrained eye, but a sly grin took place on Mr. Howlett's thin lips. She felt like he was showing off, even if the office wasn't his.

"Welcome to my school for gifted youngsters." a bald man said from behind the desk. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier."

The two siblings bowed their heads in an exact same motion and Amalia studied the eyes of the headmaster of this impressive place as he was rolling toward them in his wheelchair. His look was warm and full of kindness, somehow reminding her of her brother.

"I'm aware you came a long way and I'm willing to give you rooms for the night and maybe more." he carried on, as he was sure they'll stay in the institute.

But Amalia took a step toward him.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you sir, but I'll have to refuse the last part of your offer." she said in a cold voice. "My brother and I are here to see if you can help us. If you can't, we'll go our own way. I don't want to jeopardize anyone's safety, especially Liam's."

Who was he to decide what they'll do with themselves or where they'll stay? He was about to answer at her words when she rose a thin but steady hand.

"I know that Odile told us we would be safe here but as you can see by my clothes soaked with blood, we are not running from nice people." she carried on. "And settling in someplace would be the wrong thing to do if we want to stay alive. We don't want to get soft because of a false sense of security."

Charles Xavier nodded, folding his hands on his lap.

"May I propose something to you?" he asked as his eyes glimmered with a twinkle of amusement.

Amalia nodded her head, slightly, and he carried on.

"What about you sleep here tonight and we talk about it tomorrow. You made the trip to my school and you need to rest. Logan will show you around the place tomorrow morning and show you how you can stay here without getting… _soft_."

The redhead turned her face to her brother's before nodding again. Yes, they needed the rest. Tomorrow will be another day and she'll judge if the place is safe enough for Liam to stay here.

"Good." the bald professor said more for himself than for his guests. "Logan, would you please lead Liam to his bedroom? I'll take care of Amalia."

The young redhead's body stiffened. She frowned almost angrily and Mr. Howlett shifted his weight on his right foot, ready to attack her if he had to defend the headmaster.

"Liam is not going anywhere without me." the young woman said. "If you want us to stay here, you'll have to give us one room for two people."

An amused smile crept his way on Xavier's lips.

"You're a tough business woman." he said still smiling. "I like that. Okay. You'll have your two beds bedroom but you'll have to take care of your laundry yourself if you're staying; the cleaning ladies can't take care of everything."

It was Amalia's turn to be amused.

"Works for me. But don't jump to conclusions. I never said we'll stay."

The professor nodded before turning his head toward their guide.

"So it's settled. Logan, show them their room, 354 should be good enough."

Mr. Howlett motioned his hand toward the exit of the office and after a last 'Goodnight' from the headmaster, he led the way again. Some staircases, more wainscoted corridors and long windows appeared as they walked into this labyrinth from the first to the third floor.

'_This place is really huge_.' Amalia worried slightly. '_How I am going to remember every hallway we took to get here._'

'_Don't worry, sister. I'm here to help you._' Liam's voice answered her in her head.

She nodded, carrying on with Logan's long steps.

"Okay, kids. Here we are." the tall muscled man told them, motioning his hand toward the door they were facing. "My room is just right here."

He pointed at a similar door a few yards from them on the other side of the corridor.

"I'll be there if you need anything."

Amalia could see he was not thrilled by the words escaping his mouth. It almost looked like someone would have to whisper the line for him to tell it.

"Have a good night." he said before turning on his heels toward his own bedroom, not waiting for an answer.

Amalia averted her gaze from Logan's back and turned to look at Liam before pushing the dark red door. The thing squeaked on its hinges as they crossed the threshold. The place was dark and a little too warm in this summer night but the young redhead didn't switch on the lights. She analyzed the place in the darkness. She may have to fight in this room without having the light bulbs turned on. Her sight recorded everything, from the space between the furniture to the ceiling high. They were two thin twin beds on the opposite wall of the room as long as a wardrobe in front of the beds, maybe a yard between them. A door, which looked like the way to the bathroom, stood next to the closest bed of the room. She finally headed toward it, closely followed by her brother. She put her bags on the floor and Liam mimicked her.

"Okay. It will do." she said, not talking about the cozy side of the place. "You should go to the bathroom first. I'll find your pajamas and your toothbrush."

Without complaining the teenager obeyed willingly, as always and his sister opened their biggest bag, going through a lot of soft fabric clothes. As she had found what she was looking for, she entered the already full of steam room and put the clothes and the cleaning utensil on one edge of the sink.

"What do you think about him?" Amalia asked the shape of his brother hidden by the shower curtain, her mind focused on the odd bald headmaster.

Her question was answered with a shrug.

"Don't know." Liam said after a few seconds, thinking. "He seems too sure about us staying here. What do _you_ think of him?"

The redhead shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uneasy.

"I don't know. There is something off here." she confided to her brother. "How can he be the headmaster of this school without having the government on his back? Is this country really different from the one we come from?"

The water stream changed its melody as Liam shook his head.

"No, schools are part of the government business here too. I don't know. Maybe he won some of those lottery games we saw on Odile's television."

Amalia shrugged not quite sure about it.

"I don't know. He can't help that many people out of the goodness of his soul, right? And who pays him anyway? You think the students pay their appliance to this '_Institute_'? If that so how are we going to pay ours if they can help us?"

There were too many questions in Amalia's head and she didn't like it. She was the kind of person to hit first and think later; a lot later actually. Liam was the one solving those kinds of jigsaws.

"I need to spend more time with him, alone." Liam said while getting out of the tub, grabbing the towel Amalia was handing him. "I know you don't like the idea of the two of us in a room without you but you'll have to trust me on this one. I may be able to make him slide down his mind protection. The thought of you seems to amuse him as much as he is afraid of what you can do to this school. He will never relax with you around. You should take the tour with Mr. Howlett tomorrow while I talk to the Professor."

Amalia grunted but knew she wasn't going to change the teenager's mind. Liam was as stubborn as she was and sometimes it pissed her off. She sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"Okay. As it pleases you." she finally said. "But remember you can rely on me at any time."

Her brother nodded.

"Okay, sister. Now it's time for you to hit the shower."

She smiled at him, ran a thin hand in his disheveled wet hair and looked at him as he took his pajamas to the bedroom to get ready for the night. As soon as she was alone, Amalia got rid of her bloodstained clothes and stepped into the tub.


	4. IV One strange world

Hey hey, here I go again, a new chapter. Thanks to Luhverse who work faster than I write XD You're doing a hell of a job here, my friend.

The title of this chapter, 'One strange world' is the name of a song from the movie's OST of 'The Host' by Antonio Pinto.

* * *

**IV. One strange world.**

A knock on the door awoke Amalia in the middle of a nightmare. It was a simple sound but all of her senses were already sharp as the woman always slept with one eye open. She got up and opened the door in a violent move, ready to fight the enemy on the other side.

"Hello… _Bugs bunny_?"

Mr. Howlett looked at her long night gown with a raised left eyebrow. The slightly blue cotton cloth was imprinted with the well-known rabbit on a surfboard. He blinked and turned his gaze to her eyes.

"I'm here to give you the full tour, as Chuck requested me to."

He must have been referring to Professor Xavier.

"Okay, just let me get ready." she said before backing up.

He looked at her, detailing her thin and nervous body as she searched for something to wear into her bag.

"I'll be right back. You can come in, if you want." she said while going to the bathroom.

She heard him stepping inside the bedroom and walking to one of the beds as she got rid of her night gown and dressed in light blue shorts and a simple white tank-top. Heading back to the big bag containing all of their clothes, she took a pair of white socks before putting them on as well as the black skate shoes she had chosen with Odile a few days ago. They were nice to wear and light enough to fight with. She quickly tied her hair into a high pony-tail not to be bothered by it and let her coppery bangs fall on her forehead from the left side of her head to her right ear. She remembered Odile had shaped it that way on the first night they spent at her home. That part of her life seemed so close and so far at the same time, like a weird nightmare, and so were all the years she had spent in that creepy compound alone at first and with her brother later.

"Okay, I'm ready." she said while turning to face Mr. Howlett with a determined look on her face.

He averted his gaze from the teenager who was still sleeping, snoring softly. Liam always had been a heavy sleeper. She smiled at the younger boy and went to the side of his bed, under the eyes of Logan.

"Hey, sleepy head. It's time to wake up." she said to her brother while gently stroking his cheek.

He stirred in his sleep before opening his eyes.

"Mr. Howlett is here to give me the tour." she said, her voice as soft and smooth as a feather. "You'd better get up and ready to talk to Professor Xavier."

Logan watched her as she acted with the teenage boy. She was full of kindness and love when she spoke to him. It was entirely different when she addressed other people. Even if she was respectful of her elders, she was cold and sometimes sarcastic; not really the idea he had of a nice little lady. Only Chuck knew things about their past, but at the way she moved and reacted, he knew she hadn't been raised in a place like the mansion with a loving family. Something about her reminded of him a few years ago when he was still a stranger coming and going around this school without responsibilities. And he had found Marie. She had been the first step toward his settlement here. So many things had happened here, he thought as he rose from the empty bed to follow the young woman who had headed outside the room when her brother had gotten up from his own bed. And so many things had happened to him to make him come back after Japan. He took a deep breath under Amalia's blue gaze.

"Okay." he said before walking down the corridor. "This is the left wing's dorm of the third floor. It's usually for guests."

They entered a large room with a huge double staircase.

"In the main building you can find the cleaning ladies' section. On the right wing there are more unused and empty rooms like yours and the teachers' _dorm_." he told her while heading downstairs. "And this is the second floor. You can find the boy's dorm in the right part of the mansion with a study hall and showers and an automated laundry service. The girl's dorm is in the left wing and is the exact replica of the boy's one. Each dorm has larger rooms for the older students. In the main building you can find Chuck's bedroom."

He didn't stop, still walking down to reach the first floor.

"On this floor you have the _dining room_, if you want to call it that and a kitchen on the left wing, a living room and the music room. The right part is where Chuck's office is located as well as some of the classrooms. Behind that staircase there is a formal sitting room and the patio."

Amalia frowned. This was the full but quick tour. She would have to ask for a map if they decided to get settled here.

"Now we're going outside." he said while leading her through the formal sitting room to two big French windows.

Opening one, they stepped into the cool breeze of a summer morning. Pointing at different places he listed a lot of things. There was a garden, a greenhouse, a tennis court, a football pitch which was also a basketball court, a swimming pool and garage filled by what he described as '_a bunch of vehicles_'.

"And far away from the swimming pool you can find Brakestone Lake."

"Is that all?" she said in a sarcastic tone.

The grin on his lips surprised her.

"It's all I'm allowed to tell you for now." were his next words. "You may want to attend some classes with Ms. Munroe to see what our students are learning around here."

Amalia nodded, curious about those classes. She never went to a school before so she was eager to understand the concept and to see how it could help them.

"And what are you teaching, Mr. Howlett?" she asked him, still curious. "I bet it's not Art."

He smirked as if remembering something that happened in his past and shook his head.

"No, I'm the self-defense and close quarter combat instructor. And you can call me Logan, as almost everybody here does."

The young lady nodded once more.

"So you're into fighting?" she almost innocently asked.

He smirked again.

"If you're staying here long enough maybe we'll find time to spar." he said, in an almost flirtatious tone. "I was impressed by your skills, yesterday night."

Once again she was taken aback by his words. He looked genuinely intrigued and she liked that. It gave her some advantage on him and she shrugged.

"Yeah, we could give it a try. But as you said it would require for Liam and I to stay here long enough."

A light nod of his head was his only answer. He seemed to be a man of small words and she liked that. He was a strait to the point kind of man, not really the type to beat around the bush at all. He hadn't proved himself worthy enough for her to tell him about the things Liam and she went through but he may be, one day. But again it meant for them to settle in here and she wasn't really thrilled about that. Something inside her was screaming for her to turn her back and run the farthest she could go with her brother by her side. Logan's deep and husky voice cut her from her thoughts.

"This is Ms. Ororo Munroe's class. Have fun." he said as they'd reached another door. "I'll be in the last classroom of this hall if you need something."

She thanked him and looked at his back as he made his way to the end of the corridor, his musky scent disappearing with each of his steps. She took a deep breath and turned her head toward the door. Her hand on the handle, she gently pushed the wooden panel and silently went into the room. There were a few students listening to a beautiful olive skinned and white haired woman. She looked up from the book she was reading without stopping her sentence.

"Who can tell me which Roman emperor legalized Christianity in 313 AD?"

Several teenagers raised their hand up and she pointed at a young boy with dark hair.

"Yes Peter?"

"It was the co-emperor Constantine the great along with Lucinius." the boy answered while playing with his pen.

"That's right." she said with a little nod. "Together they issued the Edict of Milan which reiterated the toleration of Christianity."

Amalia took a seat against the wall, listening to the class with a frown. She wished she had a pen and a paper to take some notes. She didn't know much about this world she was living in and to learn its history would have been good to understand how things worked out of this compound she was locked in for so long. She thought she would ask Liam as soon as they have some time alone. After almost half an hour, Amalia raised her hand, curious about the lesson that beautiful woman was giving them.

"Yes, my dear?" Ms. Munroe asked as she didn't know her name.

"Where is this Roman empire you're talking about, ma'am."

A few whispers followed her question as the students turned to look at her. She earned a smile for the teacher who answered her with patience.

"It's the former Italy." She told still smiling.

"Is it far from here?"

A new wave of whisper started and she felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment.

"Who can tell her where is Italy?" she said to her students, using Amalia's question to check on their progresses.

Almost all of them raised their hand up and she pointed at a young girl.

"Yes, Millie?"

"The Italian boot is between France and Greece, in Europe."

"Good. Do you know where those countries are?" the teacher asked Amalia.

"I came from France, at least my brother said so, but I don't know where Greece is."

Turning the blackboard she had written on since the beginning of the lesson, she showed her a map of the world.

"This is France, as you may already know." Ms. Munroe told her pointing at a brown hexagon. "And this is Italy just next to Greece."

The young woman nodded before thanking her. A new smile took place on Ororo's face and she carried on with her lesson until a bell ring. At the sound the redhead rose to her feet in a hurry, straitening her body, ready to fight, but no one entered the place. Instead she watched all the students gathering back their books, pen and notepad before living the room, chatting among each other and throwing questioning looks at Amalia as they passed her. Ms. Munroe took her book and walked toward the redhead, still smiling.

"You're the one Logan went to pick up at the airport yesterday night, right?" she asked while extending her hand for the newcomer to shake. "I'm Ororo Munroe."

The young woman nodded and took the hand of the teacher in hers carefully.

"I'm Amalia." she told her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb your class. It's just that… I don't know as much as I may want to."

But Ororo shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I'm always happy to teach things for those who want my knowledge. Are you here to join our school?" she said while opening the door.

Amalia followed her in the hallway. It was buzzing with the life of many students coming and going from a room to another while speaking and laughing. She spotted Logan coming toward her as she bit her lips.

"I… I don't know. Maybe." the redhead said, embarrassed. "My brother and I… we never went to school and… even if he knows a lot, I don't."

Ms. Munroe nodded.

"Well, if you want to enroll yourself in this institute, I'll be more than happy to teach you and your brother about History and Geography." the beautiful teacher said with a genuine smile.

"Hey, 'Ro." Logan voice rang in the air. "I see you met our soon to be new student?"

The smirk shaping his lips intensified at the cold glare Amalia gave him.

"I didn't say yes, yet. I need to be sure Liam will be safe here."

Logan shrugged before asking:

"Why are you so concerned with his safety? You should let him defend himself."

The redhead's hands turned into fists.

"You don't know what these people are capable of!" she said as her voice became almost a yell. "You don't know what I watched them do to him without being able to help!"

A frown took place on both teachers face.

"What do you mean?" the strong man asked her, concern in his voice.

"I already told you I'll only speak with the professor about this." she spat with anger.

The frown didn't leave his eyebrows but he nodded.

"Don't worry, Amalia." Ms. Munroe said in a serious tone. "If you want to stay here we can keep you and your brother safe."

The redhead narrowed her eyes.

"And how will you do that?" she said, anger rising inside of her chest. "With rulers and chalk?"

Ororo and Logan exchanged a look and the tall man turned his gaze to the redhead.

"I think it's time for you to have a little conversation with Chuck." he said, as serious as his colleague. "Follow me."

Amalia bowed her head to the beautiful white haired woman and followed Logan to Professor Xavier's office. By the time they reached its door the anger in her chest had lightened. Once again Logan knocked one time on the door.

"Come on in." Xavier's voice answered him.

They both stepped in, only to find the Professor sitting next to Liam. The young boy smiled at his sister and she walked toward him before ruffling his hair.

"How was the tour?" his brother asked her, eager to know what she thought about the school.

She shrugged. She didn't want the two men to think she was ready to enroll here.

"It was okay, I guess. This place is impressive. The infrastructure looks good and I attended Ms. Munroe's class. It was quite interesting."

Liam nodded and let her continue.

"For average students it's a pretty good place. But as you know, we are not average people."

Her brother nodded once more and she turned her gaze to the two men.

"What if a battalion of soldiers break here and told you to give us to them or they'll kill everyone here? How will you react, Professor?" was her question to them. "Will you surrender to their demand or will you stand for us? Are you willing to risk everyone's life for two people you just met?"

The bald headmaster leaned in his wheelchair and nodded.

"Those are valid questions, my dear." he said and turned to face Logan. "What do you think we should do in this kind of situation?"

The words of Mr. Howlett were the one of a soldier.

"No one gets left behind. We stick together and take care of each other as every time we had been under attack."

"And how will you do that?" she carried on, frowning.

"Everyone in this school is learning how to control their power in order to join a special team." Professor Xavier said before heading to the door to go in the hallway. "It may be time for you to be introduced with some of its members."

Liam and Amalia followed Logan and the bald man to the dead-end of the corridor. His hand placed against a wainscoted wall he pushed it lightly. A small _click_ was heard and the wall slide to the right to reveal an elevator. They stepped in and waited for a few minutes in silence.

"This mansion was built on a bunker several years ago, during the second world war. When I inherited it, I used it for other purposes." Xavier said as they got off of the elevator.

They entered a grey hallway whose walls were made of steel.

"I rehabilitate it into this." he carried on as doors opened on their path. "You can find an infirmary down the hall as well as a training room known as the danger room. There is also an airplane hangar and Cerebro, a machine a really good friend of mine and I developed in the late sixties."

As he led the way, Xavier explained them the purpose of Cerebro.

"This device amplifies my brainwaves in order to find other people like us. Once detected, I send my team to pick him, or her, and as I did with you two, I offer them a place in my school."

Amalia curiously looked at each opened door.

"And where is this team you're talking about?" she said, suspicious.

They didn't reply, instead Logan stopped at a door and stepped in front of it.

"Retinal scan initiated. Eye recognition is complete. Welcome back Wolverine." a synthetic voice told him as the round steel panel parted in front of them.

They entered another hallway, much shorter this time and took a turn to the left. Behind the corner was a massive and opaque glass panel in place of a wall.

"Welcome in the danger room." Xavier said before tipping lightly on different keyboards.

The glass wall became clear as water in a mountain river. Behind it three people were fighting against robots in a building set on fire. There were two girls and a guy. The first girl was not as old as her but seemed to be well trained. Obviously as not trained as Amalia was but still, her skills were pretty much decent. She seemed to have the ability of being intangible. It helped her sticking some of her opponent inside the ground to beat the hell out of them. She didn't know the girl, but she liked her already. By her left side was a boy about the same age. He had dirty blond short and spiky hair and was turning things into ice, stopping missiles in the air and extinguishing the fire around them. Amalia thought he was doing okay, but he was relying too much on his gift. What would happen to him if his powers were cut off from him, at least miss intangible was more a fighter than he was. The last member was another girl. Her hair was brown with a white bang. She wasn't as good enough as the other young woman but she wasn't bad. She wore gloves that went to the middle of her upper-arm and didn't seem to have abilities. Maybe hers were too difficult to use in a battle or too invisible to be seen. It didn't matter. For Amalia powers, gifts, abilities or what-ever you called them were not meant to be the first thing you have to rely on. You could spit fire of puke acid it would still didn't matter. The things that did matter were stamina, strength and speed. How many blows would you be able to take before being tired? How far would your enemy land if you lifted him and threw him away? How fast would you be able to duck and rise before throwing a punch at your opponent? Those questions were what mattered to Amalia and they were the questions she had answered most of her life in the compound where she was born and raised. A hand took hers and squeezed it. Liam knew what she had in mind and he wanted her to know she wasn't alone with her thoughts. After a few more minutes she shrugged and sighed.

"I don't know. This is impressive but I'm not sure about them." she said in a cold voice as she pointed at the three young people behind the glass. "Are they good enough to protect everyone around here?"

She heard Logan scoffed behind her and she turned to see him.

"What? I'm not putting my brother's life inside of their hands until I'm totally sure." she spat angrily.

"What about you give it a try?" Professor Xavier said with a little smile. "Challenge them into some fight."

Amalia shrugged again. Why not?

"I could use a sparring partner." she said while nodding.

A smirk appeared on Logan's lips and she mimicked him. They waited for the three mutants to finish their training and the Professor talked in the microphone linked with the room beside them.

"Bobby, Kitty and Marie, we have someone here who would like to train with you. How does this sound?"

Their heads rose up toward the glass and they nodded.

"Yeah, why not." Bobby said with a smile. "I'm always up for a little one on one."

"Okay, perfect. She will see you downstairs." Xavier answered him.

Logan led her to the danger room's entrance and opened the door for her.

"Enjoy yourself." he joked as she passed him.

She didn't bother answering him and stepped into the big room. The building had given way to a bare room with steel walls, identical to the basement hallway. She walked toward them and bowed her head.

"Hello." miss intangible welcomed her with a friendly smile. "I'm Kitty Pride."

"Amalia." the redhead told her as she popped her knuckles. "Who wants to come first?"

The three mutants looked at each other and shrugged.

"I'll be first." Bobby said while taking a fighting stance. "Let's see what you've got."

Amalia smiled and raised her hands in front of her face.

"Okay. Bobby, right?" she asked. "I'm willing to try something. We do this without our abilities. What do you think?"

He shrugged again and nodded quickly.

"Works for me." he answered her, serious.

They started circling each other, looking for an opening into their defenses and Amalia felt adrenaline pumping into her veins. She launched herself at him as she was going to hit him with her fist but duck instead and passed him. Her elbow hit him behind the head. He turned quickly but wasn't fast enough to anticipate Amalia's right palm into his chest. The strength she had put in the blow almost made him tripped and he took a step back to regain his balance.

"If we were using powers, you'd be dead, Bobby." Amalia said with a smile. "You need to increase your speed."

He didn't answer and try to kick her in the stomach but she diverted his move with her wrist.

"Come on." she carried on. "You can't be serious? Are you fighting with full strength? I'm not a kid! Harder!"

His eyes were full of surprise and he stared at her with wide eyes. She took this opportunity to punch him in the shoulder. He tried to dodge but his move made him loose his balance and he fell.

"That's not fair." Bobby complained to the redhead. "Why don't you want to use our powers?"

Amalia let her hands drop along her body.

"I watched you from up there." she said while pointing at the room her brother where in. "You know how to use your abilities. But what if something happen and you can't use them? How will you save yourself or your teammates?"

Bobby rose on his feet.

"You need to work on you strength, stamina and speed." she carried on and pointed at Kitty. "She's a better fighter than you. You may learn things from her."

"Who do you think you are to come here and criticize us like that?" Bobby shouted at her.

But Amalia ignored him; instead she turned to face the girl with the white bang.

"Marie, right?" she said with a frown. "It's your turn. I hope you'll be better than Icy."

Marie eyes turned to the glass hiding Logan and Xavier, waiting for them to say something but they didn't. So she raised her fists in front of her and focused on her opponent.

"Come on, Marie!" she heard Amalia encouraged her. "I'm not your friend. You can hit me as hard as you want. Don't mind me. I'll heal."

Without blinking, the young brown haired woman took a step back and launched herself at the redhead and threw a punch at her. Amalia dodged it, ducking but as she was about to turned herself she felt the girl's right shoe hit her back.

"That's great." the redhead said as she rose from her feet and face her. "Again. You need to be stronger this time."

Marie nodded and tried to kick Amalia in the knee. The redhead jumped back and made a left spin to kick her opponent in the stomach. Marie dodged it quickly and threw another punch at Amalia's face. Before she could see it the redhead blocked it with her palms. But the blow was too strong and the back of her hands hit her nose. Amalia grunted and robbed her nose.

"I-I'm sorry." the brown haired woman said, concern in her eyes.

But Amalia smiled.

"Don't be. This was pretty good. Work on that and you'll be at your best. Kitty, you're up."

Miss intangible nodded and took a fight stance.

"From my perspective you're the best fighter, girl. Let's see what you have in store."

Kitty smiled lightly and waited for Amalia to initiate the fight. Their exchange started with a kick and a punch that Kitty dodged and answered by a kick of her own. She hit Amalia in the arm and threw some other fighting moves at her. This time the redhead didn't move, taking all the blows one after another.

"Stronger!" she shouted. "You can do it!"

A shower of kicks and punches fell on her but she didn't flinch, taking it all.

"Again! Faster now!"

Kitty did as she was told and threw a series of uppercuts and elbows blows. At some point, Amalia dodge her moves and made a right spin to be in her opponent's back. She hit the girl with her elbow in the small of her back, cutting air from her lungs and Kitty tripped, losing her balance before falling.

"That was pretty good." the redhead said as she extended her hand for her opponent to rise on her feet again. "I surprised you to get into your back. You need to be ahead of your enemy. Your Achilles' heel is strategy, but you can get over it by watching video of fights and training with an equally skilled sparring partner."

Kitty nodded and Amalia turned to the long and massive window.

"I made up my mind." she said to the bald headmaster. "I think we can help each other. I'm willing to co-train your team with Mr. Howlett, if he is okay with that, if you give to my brother and me the knowledge we need about this world."

A few seconds later Logan, the Professor and Liam stepped into the danger room. The self-defense teacher was smirking and the bald headmaster smiling genuinely. He was about to answer when the air cooled quickly. Amalia activated her molecules to heat them up and Bobby attempt to freeze her failed, the ice melting before touching her body. She closed her eyes and disappeared from their sight. Without losing a second, she ran, slide on the floor and got up in Icy's back before putting her hand in front of his throat, melting her fingers molecules into a blade before appearing again.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." she said, voice deep and low, almost growling.

The young man gulped loudly and raised his hands, palms opened in a surrender stance.

"Good boy." she said before releasing him. "It was bold but brave of you to try to surprise me."

She faced him with a friendly smile and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"But as I said, you are relying too much on your abilities." she carried on. "Try using your body skills more often and you'll be better."

He nodded, respect in his gaze as he looked her in the eyes.

"I would be thrilled to accept your offer." Professor Xavier said as wheeling toward her. "But I need to know a little more about you two before agreeing."

Amalia nodded and turned her eyes to Liam. The smile on his face was the best answer he could give her and she smiled at him.

"I have few documents you need to see, then." she told him. "But I think you'll want to hear our story, am I right?"

The bald man nodded and led the way back to the first floor.

"I think my office will be a better place to talk about this." he said as they stepped into the elevator. "Kitty, Bobby and Marie, I think you and Logan would like to hear this as well. You'll work with Amalia from now and you may want to learn a little more about her after all."

They all nodded their agreement and followed the bald headmaster into his office. As they finally arrived, they took seat in the warm room and Amalia started her story.

"As you know, I'm Amalia and this is Liam. We are different from all of you." the young redhead started. "First of all, our names are code names. There are recursive acronyms."

Silence fell on the room and all people in it, except for Liam, frowned.

"Okay, Amalia actually means Advanced Mutations All Lie In Amalia. And Liam stands for Liam Is A Mind Mutation."

Surprised filled Xavier's eyes as well as his students' and concern took place into Logan's gaze.

"We are mutants grown in tubes." the redhead carried on. "I was made twenty seven years ago, in France. Our parents were the same as us but didn't have names, they were only numbers. Once my genetic code was made as the scientists wanted me to be, they placed my fetus into a big test tube filled by water and let me being developed as a baby would. I stayed in it during four years until they started to experiment on me. I was trained with various fighting styles until I was thirteen. Around that time they filled another big test tube with water in the other side of the room I was staying in during tests. I watched Liam growing in front of my eyes every day. I didn't know what was happening at first but something pulled me toward him and I looked at him while resting in my glass pod. The tiny point turned into a baby and then into a boy. We used to stare at each other for hours between my training and testing sessions. And one day, five years ago, I finally heard him. As Professor Xavier has already known and as his code name says it, Liam is a telepath. Well, we don't know if he has other mind related abilities, but right now he can read minds and talk to people into their heads."

Amalia took a deep breath and felt her brother's hand squeeze hers into his.

"So, as I say, five years ago, Liam talked to me for the first time through his brain. I wasn't really clever at that time. I barely knew how to speak and couldn't understand other feeling apart from love and hate. My brother helped me with that, searching answers for me into the scientists' brains. We both learned how to speak different languages and how to count. Liam taught me not to hate every one that lived outside of the compound, as I had been trained and brainwashed to think and feel. We had a lot of discussions during the month before they started to throw him into the arena. It is some kind of danger room but with soldiers and guards for me to injure or to kill. Those fights were tests and they recorded every move I made for scientific purpose. I don't know how much data they stored during all those years but once they finally decided to put Liam into the arena things changed for me. Before this event, I was willing to wake up every morning, to train and to go to the arena without complaining. During almost twenty five years of my life it was the only thing I knew and I thought it was normal. But then, they stopped experimenting on me and turned their looks toward Liam. They did things to him I…"

Her brother's hand squeezed hers again and he put his head on her shoulder to give her the strength to carry on.

"They did ugly things to him." she repeated before carrying on with her story. "They made him scream and hurt him so badly he stayed silent for days, not even speaking into my head. The worst thing wasn't the scream escaping his mouth actually, because in my glass pod filled with water the sound was muffled. The worst thing was the screams he shouted with his mind. It was ripping my heart apart. And one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I broke my glass pod, knocked down the scientists, grabbed Liam's hand and some papers I thought could be useful before escaping the compound. We ran as far away as we could, cutting through every defense the place had and we hid into a little village. It was a week ago. Luckily my path came across Marc's mother, Odile and she helped us. She bought us some clothes and stuff, helped us to get French IDs and put us on a plane to New York. Mr. Howlett picked us up with Marc at the airport and we were attacked by some soldiers. They are linked with the program that made us and is called 'X-Weapon: Third Stage'. I think you know the rest."

Amalia throat was hurting. She wasn't used to speaking this much. Her gaze slid on every face of the room. The three younger people were speechless, as if they were glued to their seat by a huge acceleration on a plane flying at Mach 3. Professor Xavier was frowning, really concerned and Logan's face was as white as a sheet. The silence deepened until the bald headmaster finally opened his mouth.

"I will have to read those documents you took from this compound." he said in a concerned tone.

Amalia nodded and asked:

"If your offer still stands, my brother and I would like to stay"

He sat back in his chair and nodded.

"Yes. Yes of course, my dear. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need and want to. I'll do all I can to help you with the things you need." he told her. "And if Logan doesn't mind I will agree to your request. You will assist him during his self-defense and close quarter combat lessons."

Behind him, Mr. Howlett nodded.

"Of course." he said. "I saw you fight those soldiers yesterday night, as well as our young X-Men in the danger room. You're good and you can give good advice. As long as it doesn't interfere with your other classes, it's okay with me."

Amalia and Liam thanked them and Logan and the Professor told her and her brother they could leave.

"Logan and I are going to discuss other matters. But feel free to come if something is bothering you."

They nodded and left, soon followed by the three young X-men.


	5. V Home

Fifth chapter's right below this line, people ;) As always, thanks to Luhverse who worked amazingly :)

This chapter is named 'Home' after a song from the movie's OST of 'The Host' by Antonio Pinto.

Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did ;D

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**V. Home.**

She never knew what that strange word really meant. Home. It was so strange to her she didn't know it would be so easy for her to call a place that. Her home. The X-mansion, also known as 'Professor Xavier's school for gifted youngsters' for the rest of the world, had slowly become her home. She smiled as she crossed the path of a couple of kids waving at her. In a week or so she had become quite popular in the school. The teacher and students here were like a huge family and she liked that. Liam had made some friends of his own and she was pleased to see him getting along well with other people. He was doing really well in the mansion and Ms. Munroe always talked to Amalia about her brother in good terms. While the teenage boy was bonding with Marie, Kitty and Bobby, she was most of the time by herself. She didn't like to mingle, and apart from classes and lunches she was, most of the time in the library or in the gym, on her own. At first she had be on constant watch but as days had passed, she had decided to take some time for herself, trusting the X-mansion defense system. Walking down one of the wainscoted hallways she was now heading toward the kitchen to grab a snack. She had planned to spend some time outside, working on some warm-up exercises. As she let her gaze slid on the kitchen window she watched a few students playing a basketball game on the court, outside. She thought she could join them after her push-ups and sit-ups. Amalia grabbed a banana and a water bottle before heading outside. Walking in the dining room, also called the cafeteria, she answered politely at some greetings from her classmates but gently refused their invitation to join them for lunch with a kind smile. She carried on and opened one of the French windows of the formal sitting room before stepping outside. The warm air of the afternoon welcomed her and she smiled, she threw her head backward, hair in the breeze as it carried some smell from the garden. She knew Ms. Munroe was the one in charge of it and she had made a wonderful job there. Roses, jasmines and hibiscuses flowers bloomed with grace and magnificent colors. Amalia was now able to put words onto each one of them and she was pleased by the progress she was making in every class she attended. Liam seemed to have good marks too and that made her happy. Her little brother was blossoming around his schoolmates and nothing would have made her happier or more proud of him. At first she had been the one pushing him toward the teenagers. He didn't want her to be alone and was clinging to her like a child with his mother; but eventually he did as he was told. Grass tickled her feet as she took her shoes off and sat under a big tree. Her skin was too white for the sun and she didn't want to be burnt by it. She laid her back down and started to do some sit-ups. She wasn't counting them; she was used to doing it until her stomach muscles ached. Time went by and she was doing her push-up exercises when she heard heavy footsteps crushing the grass. A musky scent filled her nostrils and her guts contracted at the smell, butterflies flying in her stomach.

"Hey, Bugs bunny! So, how much?" a slightly husky voice asked her by her left side, referring to her work-out exercises.

"I don't know." she said without stopping.

She heard a mocking laugh from the man and saw him sat next to her.

"How can you tell if it's effective then?"

She ignored him, feeling his gaze on her body and carried on until her arms started to burn her from the inside. She sat and took a sip from her bottle, still not looking at the intruder.

"I see you work out here almost every day." he said, curious. "You never stop or relax until it's done. You got it there, this habit?"

She peeled her banana, her eyes on the yellow fruit.

"Define _there_." she coldly said before taking a bite of her snack.

She knew what he meant but she didn't like to answer his questions.

"You know what I'm talking about." he answered her. "The place where you were _made_."

His last word was spoken almost hesitantly. He seemed not at ease with this part of the subject. She nodded. She didn't want to speak about it but something inside her was pushing her toward him. A part of her being wanted to talk to him; to tell him what she had been through in the dirty compound that was the only place she knew for twenty seven years. Amalia gulped her mouthful and sighed.

"You're not going to leave me alone until I speak to you, am I right?" she told him, her eyes on him for the first time since he came.

"It depends." he said while shrugging. "I'm not going to force you."

She closed her eyes for a second and sighed.

"What do you want to know?" she asked him before taking another mouthful of her banana.

She knew she wouldn't have some peace until he had all of his answers.

"Do you know the name of the scientist in charge of the program?"

She finished her fruit and put its peel on the ground, next to her water bottle, before she looked up at him again.

"I know that her name was Elizabeth Lewis. Does it ring any bells?"

Logan shook his head as he was staring into space.

"I don't know why you are asking me this." the young redhead said. "I gave all the documents to Professor Xavier. I don't know anything else apart from the information it holds."

The man nodded without answering.

"You should ask the professor for it." she carried on, embarrassed by the silence that fell around them.

"What was it like, the life, _there_?" he said, bluntly.

Amalia's eyes slightly widened as she was taken aback by his question.

"Well, it wasn't horrible." she said, eyes staring into space as her memories went back to that time. "I was woken up every morning to go to the training room. I did some work out while they monitored every move I made. Then I was back into my pod until the early afternoon where I was thrown into the arena. Fights, tests and pain were my humdrum."

At her words she could almost decipher some sadness in his eyes; but by the time she saw it, it was already gone. Maybe she had imagined it; she couldn't tell.

"I was born in that world." she told him. "I didn't know there was something else outside of the walls of the compound."

He nodded and looked at her as she took another sip from her bottle.

"If you don't have any more questions, it's my turn."

He looked at her, surprised.

"It's my turn to ask you questions." she explained. "What is your story?"

He frowned at her words and she smiled kindly.

"How am I supposed to trust you if I'm the only one answering questions?"

A playful smile took place on his face.

"Yeah, you're right." he said. "But my story is a long one to tell."

She threw a look around and shrugged.

"I can't see Liam." she said. "It means he doesn't need me for now so I have some time to spend."

Something inside Logan pulled him toward her. He wasn't the kind of person to talk, especially about himself but something about this young woman and the things she had been through made him open himself. He then nodded and took a deep breath before telling his story. How he was born in Canada, the way he discovered his abilities and killed his real father. The things he had done with his brother, Victor. Wars. So many fights in the bloody mud. The special operation team he joined and quit. Kayla, the woman he met and loved while living an almost normal life as a logger. The betrayal, the set up from the X-Weapon program and the Adamantium. The fights and the amnesia. The king of the cage. Marie. The way she was kidnapped by Eric and how he rescued her. Alkali Lake and Jean's sacrifice. Scott's disappearance and the Phoenix. The fight against Magneto. Canada again, then Japan. His memories coming back. Mariko and Yukio. And finally, Professor Xavier and Magneto's reappearance that made him change the world he knew when they sent him in the past to change their fate and destroy the sentinels. After such a long story Amalia gave him her bottle of water and she looked at him while he sipped some of the remaining liquid. He didn't seem to be so old, except maybe for his eyes and a few grey hairs on his temples. He was watching the world with the look of someone who had seen too much in his life. A strange feeling was growing inside her. It was almost an urge to comfort him. She wasn't really comfortable with people so she just smiled kindly and thanked him.

"Everyone here has his own story." he said. "Some are full of impossible hopes; others are full of accomplished dreams."

Amalia nodded, as she understood what he meant. Logan's mouth seemed to twitch upward, drawing a slight smile during half a second before returning to its original shape. The silence between them seemed to stretch endlessly and Amalia turned her gaze to her hands, embarrassed by their proximity.

"Do you like it here, so far?" Logan asked her in order to fill the silence.

She nodded again, her eyes still focused on her fingers as she played with some grass.

"I saw the kid made some friends." he carried on, referring to her brother.

She nodded once more and he smirked.

"I'm not making you nervous, right?"

The redhead cleared her throat.

"No, of course not." she said, on the defensive as she planted her blue eyes onto his. "I was thinking."

But Logan knew better. His keen nose had smelled the fragrance of embarrassment and his eyes had seen the way she had withdrew into herself. But he knew what button he had to push to make her react.

"Okay, I won't bother you more. I'll let you do whatever you planned to do." he said rising to his feet in a fluid motion.

Her gaze followed his moves as he stretched himself and started to walk back to the school. Without understanding why, she was on her feet in a second.

"Wait!" she almost yelled.

Logan turned to face her, a look of surprise in his eyes, waiting for her to tell or do something but she didn't. She was frozen on her spot.

"I'm going to train into the danger room." he told her. "Want to join me?"

She shrugged, not sure if she wanted to take his offer. She didn't understand why she called him back. She would be alone like she wanted it when he came to sit next to her and now she didn't want him to leave. She turned her face to the basketball field but the kids weren't playing anymore. She may have made a face because the tall man snorted a laugh.

"Or we could play basketball, if you know the rules." he said, amused.

Amalia shrugged once more.

"I'll teach you." Logan told her before walking toward the sport field.

The redhead grabbed her half empty water bottle and her banana peel and placed them on a bench near the court while the muscled man picked up the ball the former players had left on the court. He motioned for Amalia to face him and try to explain her how to play. After some mistakes she finally became a serious opponent to her teacher. He was taller than her but she was faster and that erased the skill differences between the two of them. They played a long time, a small crowd gathering around them, eager to know who will win. At some point she noticed her brother's voice screaming her name to encourage her and it gave her some energy to keep up with Logan. But he was more experimented than her and he won by two points. Most of the students left at the end of the game but Liam came to hug his sister and congratulate her, while Marie did the same with Logan.

"That was quite a game." Bobby said. "I never thought that I would see the 'Wolverine' almost beat by a new comer."

Logan smirked.

"Almost is the key word here." he said, laughing, before taking the bottle Amalia handed him.

He drank some of it and patted the redhead shoulder.

"Well done, Bugs bunny." he congratulated her. "That's the first time someone is made me sweat in a competition game in this school."

She tensed up under his palm and he seemed to notice it because he withdrew it quickly.

"Why does Bobby called you 'Wolverine'?" Liam asked, not aware of what just happened under his own eyes.

A playful smirk grew on Logan's lips.

"It's a code name, kid." he explained patiently. "You take one when you enter the X-men. Bobby is Iceman. Marie is called Rogue. Kitty became Shadowcat. Ororo is Storm. Professor X is for Chuck. And I'm the 'Wolverine'. There is also Colossius for Piotr and Nightcrawler for Kurt."

Liam's eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to know more about this strange ritual but Logan turned his body to face the redhead at his side.

"Maybe you should think about finding one too." he told her, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.

Amalia shrugged. She wasn't really interested about joining the X-men. The only thing that mattered to her was Liam's safety.

"I already have a code name." she said, eyes on her feet. "I'm A.M.A.L.I.A."

The 'Wolverine' put a finger under her chin to lift up her head, his eyes searching hers in the meanwhile.

"If it's your code name, what is your first name, then?" he told her, already knowing the answer. "Amalia may have a deep signification but it's still the name every one use to refer to you. It's not just some scientists joke. It's your name as much as it's the definition of your creation. That's why it's a recursive acronym. It contains both."

His words almost rang in the quietness around them. It was the first time she heard him voiced a deep reasoning like this one. Her eyes couldn't leave his and the finger that still held her chin up was like a branding iron against her skin, but she didn't move; even her eyes didn't blink.

"You are Amalia as much as I'm Logan or James." he carried on, referring to his original first name. "Don't let them define what and who you are, even if they made you. You are much more than that."

His finger left its location, leaving a burning sensation where it had been a few seconds ago, and his eyes slides on Liam's face and the three young X-men who were watching him with surprise in their eyes. Amalia's ones were still looking at him, frozen, as she watched him walking toward the mansion.

"I'm going to use the danger room as planned." he told them without turning. "Thanks for the basketball game."

Getting a grip on herself she grabbed her water bottle and her banana peel before running after him, throwing what was left of her fruit in a garbage can on her way.

"What can you tell me about the X-men?" she asked when she caught up with the tall teacher.

"There is a lot to tell." he said, his eyes in front of him as he entered the building. "Chuck would inform you better than I on this matter."

But the young redhead shook her head as they walked in the wainscoted hallways.

"I want to hear it from you." she said. "Every time I listen to the Professor I feel like he is trying to sell something to me."

A low laughter escaped his mouth, awakening Amalia's butterflies in her stomach and she watched him on the sly. She saw his eyes turning toward Xavier's office as they passed its door and a slight smirk appearing on his lips.

"As I said, there is a lot to tell." Logan told her. "But you should know that in my reality they were first created to help humans against other mutants."

Her eyes hadn't left his profile but she frowned.

"You mean they were fighting their own kind?" she asked him, between surprise and shock.

He nodded thinking about Victor who had chosen Magneto's side.

"Yes, we were facing Magneto's minions until a few years ago, well for me anyways."

"Wait, Magneto? I thought he was our ally?"

Logan nodded.

"He is now because of the changes I made in the past but when I first met him, his ideas were slightly different from Chuck's."

Amalia must have looked lost because the tall man smiled and explained the bald professor's thoughts.

"Chuck told him that the mutants and the humans should live hand in hand but Erik disagreed. He thought every human being should be exterminated for us to live freely."

"And what do _you_ think?"

The 'Wolverine' shrugged.

"I think Chuck's point of view is contagious." he finally said with a thin smile as he entered the elevator to the basement. "At first I didn't care. I had seen so many things since I discovered what I was... It had made me the kind of man that cared only about himself. But I met other mutants, people I cared about, like Marie, and I discovered that I wanted a safe world for them."

They stepped out of the traveling device and Amalia nodded.

"I know what you mean." she told him. "Liam deserves this kind of world too."

They exchanged a serious look, as two adults discovering they shared the same point of view.

"I killed too many people since I left my mother's house, starting with my biological father and I think Chuck's ideal is the best we can hope for; but sometimes I think that's all pie in the sky." Logan confided himself. "Ordinary people will always feel threatened by us and they'll want to control or to kill every last one of us. We were able to stop the sentinels last time, but who knows what we'll have to face next time."

They had reached the danger room's door by then and he placed his eyes in front of the retinal scanner. The synthetic voice welcomed him as the steel panel slid in front of them. Logan reached the keyboard of the computer in the upper room and taped lightly on it before heading to the danger room, Amalia on his heels.

"I won't push you to join the X-men." he told her as they stepped into the large steel covered arena. "But I think you could be a great element for the team."

She shrugged but before she could answer him, he added:

"And you'll be able to defend Liam with our equipment."

She frowned, her head bent to the left and she sighed.

"I'll think about it." she said while moving machines sounds were heard and the holographic walls changed the landscape, shaping a forest of fir trees.

They walked quietly through it, their footsteps reduced by the pin needle beneath the sole of their shoes. Around them the forest came up with life. A few birds were singing above their heads and they saw a fox running in the other way, alerted by their sent in the wind. Amalia's pony tail bounced with the slightly hot breeze and her walking moves, her hair brushing the skin of her neck that wasn't covered by her t-shirt. Next to her Logan sighed and kept walking at his normal pace.

"Is this a training session?" she whispered to him, not really sure about the pieces of information he gave to the computer.

The tall man nodded as he stopped, his eyes focused on something ahead of them. Squinting, the redhead tried to make out what he was staring at but couldn't distinguish it clearly. There was a movement into a tree shadow and then silence. The birds had stop singing. As if it was a signal, Amalia closed her eyes and commanded her molecules to shift. Her skin shivered quickly, like an image on an old computer screen about to give up its ghost, before disappearing rapidly as curl of smoke in thin air.

"What are we supposed to face?" her voice came in a new whisper a few feet from where she used to be a second ago.

The 'Wolverine' shook his head and shrugged. He didn't know. He had set the enemy part on random as for its number.

"And how many?"

Her question earned a new shrug and she snorted a laugh.

"You're not really helpful, you know that?" she joked under her breath.

This time he almost smiled but stayed quiet. Sounds of approaching footsteps reverberated against the danger room's walls; they weren't visible due to the holographic forest but they were still around them, containing the illusion. Logan used one of the trees to hide himself from their unknown opponents, his senses focused on Amalia's invisible moves. His eyes couldn't see her but his nose and ears could spot her as easily as if she was visible. He mimicked her, quickly moving from tree to tree, still hidden by their trunks. She had initiated an ambush before he had to talk about it. This girl was a well-trained strategist; no doubt she was made by the same program as he had been, a long time ago. He almost couldn't hear her for she was moving as quietly as a ghost. Her sweet body scent was suddenly reduced, overpowered by the smell of steel and he knew. She had turned her hands into blades, ready to strike at his command. With some muscles contractions, Logan slowly let his claws out, as silently as it was possible. Crouched, his back against one of the wood trunks, he waited quietly. The first set of footsteps passed him, followed by a second and a third. It was time. Rising from his spot, the teacher propelled himself into one of their opponents back, his deadly claws cutting through the flesh as a butcher's knife into butter. It was the signal Amalia was waiting for. She threw herself at the first one, cutting his throat so neatly that the head didn't fall right away but a second later. Passing her dead enemy, Amalia stab the last opponent in the stomach with her two hands while Logan ran his claws from his enemy's groin to his head. Around them the illusion fell as the soldier's two half landed on the ground.

"What was that?" Amalia asked.

Logan threw a questioning look at the empty spot where he knew the redhead was.

"What was the purpose of this simulation?"

"Training session." was the teacher answer.

But the frown on her face while she made herself visible again told him she didn't understand something.

"Why?" he asked her.

She shrugged and chewed the inside of her cheek. He didn't know her from a long time but he already knew what her behavior meant.

"I don't understand." she finally told him. "This was way too easy for you. Were you trying to see what I was capable of?"

It was his time to shrug.

"You already saw me fighting, a week ago." she carried on.

"I wanted to judge your strategic skills." he casually told her. "What you were capable of in this kind of environment. How you could move and fight under the command of someone you couldn't see."

She nodded before asking him:

"Was it conclusive?"

He grinned, turning toward the door.

"Kinda, yeah." was his answer.

And with those words, he left the room without looking at her. She followed him to the wainscoted hallways.

"I think you should consider joining the team." he said while passing Professor Xavier's door. "You could do some good out there, you know for the kids of this institute."

"I'm already doing some good, training them with you in your class." she told him. "The best I can do is to teach them how to defend themselves."

He smirked, still not looking at her.

"Not that you're not a good teacher yourself." she added quickly.

He didn't thank her and stayed silent, curious to see what she would say to avoid the quietness that fell around them.

"I already told you I'll think about it and you said you weren't going to force me, remember?"

Logan snorted a laugh and stopped walking. He turned to face her and padded her shoulder quickly.

"I know."

Her eyes widened at his behavior.

"You were making fun of me, right?" she said and her words drew a crooked grin on his lips.

He didn't answer her and turned around before heading to the stairs.

"You're one hell of a man, Mr. Howlett." she said, stopping to watch him as he walked toward the kitchen.

"Thanks, Bugs Bunny." he said. "I take that as a compliment."

Amalia snorted and take the stairs. She needed a shower to moisturize her body after all the sweating of the day.


	6. VI Fragments of time

Hey y'all. I'm back.

Sorry for not updating during a long time. My story was under the amazing eyes of my Beta Reader, Luhverse. That girl is really awesome. She had promised me two chapters and at the end, she had corrected five :O I'm very impressed by her work and I thank her a lot :D

So, yeah, I'm going to update the five chapters in one go ;p

The title of this chapter, 'Fragments of time', is the name of a song by 'Daft Punk' from the album 'Random access memories'.

I was very glad to see that my story had gotten 195 views so far but I don't know what you think about it. Please, review and let me know ;)

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**VI. Fragments of time.**

The library was empty except for Amalia. The silence around her was calming her down. It was like she was back in her glass pod in the compound; nothing to disturb her, no people and no noises. She was reading a strange book named 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner that one of their teachers, Mr. Wagner, had talked about. It was about hope. No matter what people went through, there will always be hope. The writer was a good one. The redhead didn't have to force herself to read it and she was so engrossed in the story that she didn't hear the door open or the newcomer walking toward her.

"I never pictured you as the reader type." a deep voice said in the quietness of the room, startling her.

Before he could come closer, she was on her feet, ready to turn herself invisible.

"Easy, tiger." Mr. Howlett said, grinning, as he took another step toward her, hands open in front of him. "I come in peace."

The late afternoon sun, which was the only light source in the room, landed on his face, playing with his sharps features.

"If you're looking for Marie, she left about fifteen minutes ago." the young redhead said, voice as cold as her eyes as she sat back on the booth she was occupying when he came in.

He didn't answer and silently sat next to her. She looked at him as he made himself comfortable, lying against the big window behind him with his arms crossed behind his head, still silent. Amalia opened her book again, waiting for him to speak but he just stayed there, his eyes closed, enjoying the silence. She sighed and abruptly closed her book before turning to him.

"If you're not looking for Marie, what are you doing here?" she said, irritated.

Logan opened one of his eyelids and a slight smile took place on his lips.

"I was looking for a sparring partner, but no one was available so I thought about you." he simply said, closing his eye again. "But if you're busy, I'll wait."

Amalia smirked and got up. All the reading had made her sleepy; a little exercise would be great to shake off the fuzziness that had crept its way through her body and mind.

"Actually I was thinking about jogging." she said as she put her book back on the shelf where she'd found it. "Do you want to join me? We could spar after that, if you want."

Logan got up and stretched his arms.

"Works for me. This place is way too quiet on days-off. I need my adrenalin fix if I want to stay focus."

A chuckle escaped the young woman's throat while she put her book back on its shelf.

"It looks like we're made from the same wood sometimes." she said, joking. "If I wasn't co-teaching the self-defense class with you and working out every day, I would have left a long time ago, pushing Liam in front of me."

A little smirk took place on his lips.

"I better keep you busy then." he said in an almost flirtatious tone.

At his words, Amalia stopped dead on her tracks, caught off of guard, and watched Logan as he passed her, still smirking. Quickly recovering from her shock, she took longer strides to keep up with his pace. She didn't know how to react to his words, so she stayed silent until he turned his gaze on her.

"Relax. I was only joking."

Feeling her cheeks warm up as she blushed, she nodded, not answering. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. She didn't understand why but she found herself wanting him to be serious just for a second.

"But you were right, you know." he carried on. "We are kind of cut from the same wood."

She stayed silent, for him to continue. Around them the mansion was quiet. There were a few students in the dining room, chatting amongst themselves, while the others were in their rooms or outside, playing games or just enjoying the good weather.

"There was a time when I couldn't stay here for more than a few months; even weeks sometimes." he said as he opened one of the tall French doors that lead outside. "I was a survivor, a soldier, and the idea of settling down made me nervous."

Narrowing her eyes to detail him, she listened to his words in silence. She looked at him as he stretched his limbs; she mimicked him, getting ready to jog.

"What changed?" she then asked, wanting to know more about him. "What makes you stay here now?"

Logan looked up, his eyes on the almost orange sky of the late afternoon.

"I think it was Marie that changed me, at first." he voiced, analyzing the situation. "Then it was the students that needed my help to protect them. And after that it was Jean."

They had started to jog lightly, not going for a race.

"But when I… when she died, there was nothing left here for me. Marie had Bobby and I was by myself most of the time. As I already told you, I went back to Canada where I tried to mourn my losses. But I kind of failed that and I started to destroy myself, drinking my feelings away and living in a cave, in the woods. Time fled until Yukio found me. Then I went to Japan and once again, I couldn't settle there. Even with Mariko by my side, it was impossible. She had helped me clean my wounds but it wasn't what I needed. So I came back with Chuck and Eric. Students and teachers welcomed me again and gave me balance. I think that's it. The thing I need most in my life is balance."

Amalia nodded, understanding what he meant. She could feel it too, this longing for something between quietness and excitement. Now that she knew Liam was safer, she started to need something for her too. But she couldn't identify it precisely. They carried on with their jog in silence and reached the lake that was behind the mansion before stopping. They stretched once again and Logan took a fighting stance.

"You ready to spar?" he asked her with a little smile, knowing she couldn't walk away from a good fighting request.

She smiled back before mimicking him.

"You can heal, right? Just like me?" he asked her while jabbing in her direction, not making contact yet.

She nodded before adding:

"Don't pull your blows. I'm a big girl, I'll manage."

He smirked before attacking. First he needed to assess her speed so he just threw a few quick punches to her face and chest, but she dodged or deflected them with some fast forearms' moves. So Logan just went for quicker blows leaving her no time, nor space to attack him back. She just kept dodging, jumping or deflecting to lure him.

"Come one, girl!" he encouraged her. "I know you can do better than that."

But Amalia didn't answer. She just let him underestimate her for a few more seconds under his constant encouragements. At one point she dodged a punch to the face and crouched down before pushing her feet hard in the ground. This technique propelled her in the Wolverine's fighting space and she used the surprise to punch him in his left side. A muffled grunt escaped his mouth but he didn't flinch and attacked her back.

"I knew it. Nice strategy. We should teach it in our class." he just said while extending his arm to grab her.

But before he touched her skin, she withdrew her molecules to get out of his reach. When she reassembled her hand again, she made it thinner and longer, as a giant ice pick and she aimed for his guts. He quickly jumped back before drawing out his claws with a smirk.

"Okay, now we're serious." he said, taking a fighting stance again.

But this time, Amalia didn't wait for him to attack; she launched herself at him, aiming for his right shoulder. He dodged her deadly limb, stepping back and threw his claws in her left side. Pain made its way through her nerves but she stayed put, not flinching, while she smiled.

"And now, you're trapped." were her only words.

A quick glance at his right hand showed him that his hand was, indeed, trapped inside her body. She had rearranged her molecules around his limb and now he couldn't use it. Grabbing his neck to steady his head, she butted him hard. A moan of pain escaped his mouth and he shook his head to clear it from the dizziness. When he looked back at her, she was nowhere to be seen and his right hand was free. Logan took a deep breath in to spot her sent. She was in his back and the smell of metal was mingled with hers, telling him she had shaped her hands into blades of steel. He closed his eyes and turned around to face her. Focusing on his senses of smell and hearing he managed to duck and dodge when she attacked him, but couldn't spot her precisely enough to attack back. He randomly threw his claws in front of him but didn't touch her.

"Want to give up?" she whispered in his right ear, making him shiver at the tickling feeling.

But he shook his head.

"No way! I'm not going to lose to a rookie." he joked before attacking where she was a second ago.

He heard her moan in pain while a red stain of blood appeared a few feet from him.

"Hit!" he added with a smile.

"But not sunk." she answered while moving around him.

The sound of her footsteps was now followed by the one of a swift blade cutting through air. It was everywhere around him and Logan was turning on himself to face it or dodge it as fast as he could. The blood stain he had made was moving in the air, in an almost hypnotic dance. Closing his eyes once again, he clenched his jaws and got ready for the pain while thrusting his arm in the air in front of him. As he had planned it, one of her blades sunk through his arms and hit his Adamantium bones. Before she could release herself from his flesh, he grabbed her arm and plunged its right claws on her shoulder, making her scream in pain and lose focus. As she couldn't maintain her hold on her molecules, she became visible again. The smile on Logan's face vanished as quickly as he saw her face. She was panting hard and biting her lower lip to contain the pain. Withdrawing his claws, he made a step toward her, his hand almost on her other shoulder to comfort her. But she pushed it, frowning.

"It's okay. I'm a big girl. Don't feel sorry for me." she said while turning around, her back to him. "It has already healed."

Logan nodded, even if she couldn't see him but stayed silent. She faced him again, with a light smile.

"It was great, even if you won." she told him, for him not to worry about her. "Thanks. I needed that."

He shook his head, with a slight smile.

"No problem. Yeah, it was nice." he said while turning to the mansion. "Want to go back?"

But while he turned to face her again, she was stripping her clothes off.

"Whoa! Watcha doing, girl?"

She giggled, while stepping toward the lake.

"I can make myself invisible if you're too embarrassed to see me naked."

Averting his gaze, he grunted, making her giggle again.

"I'm sorry, but I need to feel the water on my skin." she said, while entering Brakestone Lake. "It's been a while now since I was able to be completely immersed in it. I craved for it."

Turning his eyes to watch her again, he saw Amalia swimming as she sigh of happiness.

"Nothing's best than water after a fight. It may be because I was immersed in a glass pod filled by water for most of my life, but it's like my skin is gonna crack sometimes when the air is too dry."

He nodded, still watching her as she dive underwater, showing him her naked body without being uncomfortable. He was going to leave her there, knowing nothing could happen to her, when he heard her voice again.

"Want to join me?" she asked him, smiling. "Come on, the water is good."

The sun had already set while they were sparring but no one needed him at this hour of the day, and the next day was a Sunday so he had another day off. Shrugging he looked at her, it has been a while since he swam in the lake and it would feel good to wash his sweat away. So he took his white wife-beater and jeans off before entering the water. A few strokes later, he was by her side.

"Feeling better?" he asked her, still worried about her shoulder.

She nodded before shoving some water in his face.

"Oh, come on!" he complained as it landed in his face. "That wasn't necessary."

She giggled before doing it again.

"You little brat! Come here, I'm going to give you a lesson!" he said before swimming toward her, trying to catch her.

She howled with laugher as she tried to escape him, dodging his hands with ease but he managed to catch her, his hands encircling her waist to keep her still. Her pale skin was soft against his and he suddenly became aware again that she was naked in his arms. They stayed still, their legs only moving to keep their heads above water. They looked into each other's eyes, silent, before she took him in her arms too.

"Thank you, Logan." she said, calling him by his first name for the first time.

"What for?" he asked her, not understanding why she was thanking him.

"For everything." she told him. "I never met someone like you before. Everyone at the compound treated me like an experiment. I didn't know what to be an average girl felt like, until I met you. You cracked the shell I had hid myself in for so long. Thank you for that."

He shrugged, not really understanding why he couldn't let her go before answering:

"It's not a problem. Maybe it was because I was somehow like you at one point of my life and Marie was the one who did the same with me. You needed it as much as I had needed it when it happened to me."

She nodded, her head against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his arms and hands on her. Amalia sighed, her eyes closed, before letting him go.

"Want to race back to the shore?" she teased him before shoving more water in his face as she giggled.

"I'm in!" he told her while swimming back toward their clothes.

They put them back on, not taking time to dry themselves before walking back to the mansion where they went to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

"I'll cook an omelet, you want some?" she said while taking a pan in a drawer.

He nodded while opening a beer he'd just retrieved from the fridge. He watched her as he was taking a sip from it. Her long strawberry blond hair had already started to dry and was falling freely to her shoulder blades. Her pale skin and blue eyes were a beautiful sight. They had been amazing under the moonlight when she was in his arms, almost half an hour ago. The shoulder that had been injured was completely healed and no one could see the three claw marks that had been there after the fight. He took another sip from his beer, his eyes not leaving her as she cracked six eggs into a bowl and added some cheese and streaky bacon she already had cut in small slices. He carried on watching her as she added salt and pepper.

"Is there some spices I could put in this?" she asked, turning her head toward him.

He nodded, and walked toward her.

"I'll get them, don't move." he said, pressing himself against her back and extending his arm to open the upper kitchen cabinet that hang above her head. "What do you need?"

Amalia could feel the warmth of his chest through her t-shirt, awakening the butterflies in her stomach. She cleared her throat to keep her composure before answering:

"I don't know. Maybe nutmeg… Do you see some?"

"Yeah. There is also, paprika or Tabasco if you want it stronger."

"Do you?" she asked him, feeling light headed by his closeness.

He shrugged, not really sure she would like it. He was about to grab the nutmeg as she had requested at first when he felt her lean on his chest.

"You okay?" he asked while looking at her.

She nodded slowly, still light headed.

"Yeah, sorry, I…" she answered, not really sure about what to say. "I felt dizzy for a second. It's hotter in here than outside."

Amalia straitened herself and focused on the fork she was using to mix the ingredients in the bowl she was facing.

"Here." Logan said, giving her what she'd asked for before grabbing his beer back and taking a sip from it.

She thanked him and grated some of the nutmeg before mixing it with the eggs and pouring everything in the pan. The cheese started to melt and the eggs were warming too quickly for the bacon to cook. Amalia cursed between her teeth as she tried to prevent it for burning.

"Here, let me help you." Logan told her while putting himself behind her once again.

He grabbed the spatula over her hand and scrambled the eggs in the pan.

"It won't look good but at least it will be edible." he joked against her back.

She was speechless and her hand went limp in his as her heartbeats filled her ears. She could feel her cheek burning, knowing she was blushing and she let her almost dry hair fall around her face to hide it from him. What was this feeling that filled her? It wasn't like when she was looking at her brother, it was more bittersweet and stronger too. Somehow she longed-for his touch, just like when he had grabbed her in the lake, almost an hour ago. She wanted to lean against him once again but stopped herself before she did so, not wanting him to know how she felt in that instant. Maybe she would have to talk about it with someone for her to understand what it was. Kitty or Marie may be able to help her. The scrambled eggs were done cooking before she could be full of the feeling she had while remaining against him. Her back was almost burning where Logan was a few seconds ago. She cut the fire under the pan and watched him as he grabbed two plates and brought them to her. She filled them, not looking up even if she craved to do so. They then smiled at each other and he leaned against a bottom cabinet to eat his food. She sat on another one, facing him, and did the same in silence. Just as he had said, it wasn't nice to look at, but it was good. She was forcing herself to focus on her food, not watch him eat, when someone enter the kitchen.

"Hey, Amy!" said a girl. "I was looking for you. Where were you?"

Looking up from her plate she saw Kitty opening the fridge. The brown-haired young woman retrieved a bottle from it and opened it before taking a sip.

"Oh, Logan. Hey." she greeted him. "Did you find someone to spar?"

He nodded and pointed at Amalia with his fork while gulping his mouthful.

"We jogged to the lake before sparing two hours ago." he told the young woman with a smile.

Kitty nodded, before drinking some water again.

"And we swam a little, before coming back." he added before finishing his plate.

The young girl almost chocked on the water. She managed to swallow it before looking at Amalia. The redhead had drawn her attention back to her plate once again, not to give away how she felt about those two hours.

"Ooookay… I never thought the Wolverine would swim in this lake without being forced to do so." she said with a smile. "But okay, I'm glad you spent some time with someone, Amy. It worries me to see you alone every day."

Amalia shook her head while putting her empty plate by her side.

"Don't be, Kitty. I was on my own for most of my life, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But it doesn't mean it's good to do so. You have to mingle more with people of your age." the young brown-haired told her gently.

"Don't worry, Kitty. It will take her time." Logan said while patting the redhead hair. "You'll have to be patient for her to open her shell for you."

The young woman he was talking to didn't answer him. She stayed silent as she watched the Wolverine patting her friend's hair. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was the first time she had saw him act so close to someone. Even Marie wasn't that close to him. Maybe it was because of their past but this was weird. The two girls watched Logan walking toward the kitchen door. He was almost out of the room when he turned his head to Amalia.

"Thanks for the sparring session and the food." he told her and made her smile lightly.

"Anytime." was her answer.

And the Wolverine left the room. Once she was sure he was far enough, Kitty grabbed Amalia's arm excitedly before firing questions at her.

"What happened? What did you do? How come he is this nice to you? What… How? Tell me everything." she asked in a hushed voice, knowing Logan had a really keen sense of hearing.

But Amalia just shrugged before getting down from the kitchen counter she had sat on.

"Come on, girl! Tell me already."

Amalia smiled nicely at her, remembering what she wanted to ask her friend.

"We should go to your room to talk, it will be more comfortable." she told her.

Kitty nodded and locked her arm with her friend's before walking toward the big stairs that led to the second floor. They reached her room quickly and Kitty made sure she closed her door before sitting on her desk's chair. Amalia quietly sat on her friend's bed and sighed.

"What is it?" Kitty asked, too curious for her own good.

The redhead smiled, almost laughing, before taking a deep breath.

"I need your help with something I don't understand." She said and her brown-haired friend got up quickly.

She made her way to her bed and sat back next to Amalia, knees in her arms.

"Tell me. I'll help you."

Amalia nodded and frowned, thinking about a good way to talk about the way she'd felt.

"It's about feelings." she started to explain, no really sure how to express it. "You know, when I look at this person…"

"This person as in someone our age or as in someone you just swam with?" Kitty asked her, cutting her friend's sentence while raising her eyebrows. "How did you manage that, by the way? That's big, girl!"

Amalia laughed before shaking her head.

"Not telling you."

"Ok, sorry. Carry on. This '_person_' whose name is… or is not… Logan…"

Another laugh came from the redhead's mouth.

"Yeah, this guy…"

"Oh, so it's a guy. Whoa, big improvement!" Kitty cut her sentence again before putting a hand on her mouth to prevent herself to talk some more. "Sorry, carry on."

"Okay, when I look at him, I feel… something different. It's a weird feeling. It's not bad, nor quite good. It's almost like when I think or look at Liam but stronger and… bittersweet somehow."

Kitty was smiling, clearly excited by her friends words.

"Can I talk now?" she asked first, to be sure she could voice her thinking.

As Amalia laughed and nodded, Kitty carried on.

"O M G, girl. You don't know what it is? It's a crush."

Amalia frowned, not really getting the explanation.

"A… crush?" she asked. "What is that?"

"It means liking someone in a way that could lead to love… You know what love is, right? Not for a family member, but love like too people flirting, cuddling and kissing."

Amalia was still frowning, trying to apply the words on her feeling.

"So you say it's a crush?"

Kitty nodded while grinning.

"You tend to blush a lot when _he_ is around you, or touch you? Your knees go weak and his touch burns you?"

It was Amalia turn to nod once again.

"Yep, definitively a crush." Kitty said. "Are you crushing over Logan?"

As Amalia stayed silent while blushing, Kitty squealed in excitement.

"I knew it! I saw you when you tried to hide it in the kitchen, earlier. Since when do you feel that way around him?"

The redhead shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe since the basketball game, a couple of weeks ago."

"Whoa, you have to do something about it, girl." Kitty told her. "Tell him or… I don't know, get closer to him."

But Amalia shook her head, anxious.

"No! What if he doesn't feel that way too? I mean, I don't want to jeopardize our… the thing we have." she said, not really sure that it was friendship.

It was Kitty turn to frown.

"I won't do anything." The redhead said again. "I'll carry on and try to suppress it when I'm around him. First we work together in his class and I don't want him to feel embarrassed around me because of it. And second, I can't protect my brother if I'm not one hundred percent effective and those feelings will get in the way if I put too much thought in them."

Kitty sighed.

"Liam is safe here, Amy. Don't worry about him. Don't hide behind this reason because you're not the only one that is able to help him now. Bobby, Marie and I are looking after him, and so are the teachers and his classmates. Liam is a great boy and everyone loves him, don't' worry."

Before Amalia could retort, she carried on:

"And don't tell me I don't know what we will face because we had faced a lot of things until now and we've always found a way to win."

"For now, you have." was the redhead answer. "But what if you can't this time? I can't jeopardize Liam's safety because of some childish feelings!"

Kitty sighed at her words.

"Are you calling Marie and Bobby's relationship childish? Because it's the same thing. Two people are stronger than one; even you can't go against that."

Amalia nodded.

"If they share this feeling, I agree. But it's not the case. I'm the only one with this _crush_…"

"You don't know that for sure." the brown-haired girl retorted, cutting her from adding anything else. "What if he loves you back?"

"He doesn't." was Amalia's answer.

"How can you be so sure?"

"He's in love with Jean! He told me so!" the redhead retorted, remembering the talk they had a couple of weeks ago.

Kitty fell silent for a second.

"Really? You're the only one he told about this, you know. That surely means something." she then said.

"Maybe it's because our past is almost the same. That's why he confided in me. There's nothing more to see there."

"But you know Jean doesn't love him back, she is engaged to Scott."

Amalia shrugged.

"Yes, she is not free but that doesn't mean he is going to love me now."

Kitty sighed again.

"You know, there is no point to discuss that matter anymore." the redhead said, ending the conversation. "I may have a crush on Logan, but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw myself at him. He needs someone older; someone that can understand him better. I'm going to bed now. I won't talk about it anymore, and you'll keep it a secret, ok?"

Kitty nodded and put a hand on her chest.

"Of course, your secret's safe with me."

Amalia then sighed and got up.

"Good night, Kitty. Thanks for helping me."

"No problem, Amy. You know you can talk to me about everything that bothers you, right?"

The redhead nodded and turned to the door.

"I will. Thanks again. Sleep well."

"You too. Good night, Amy." Kitty said with a gentle smile.

The young redhead nodded once more before passing the door and heading to the third floor where her room was.


	7. VII 'Till I collapse

As promised, seventh chapter :)

The title ' 'Till I collapse' is the name of a song from the OST of the movie 'Real Steel' by Eminem (featuring Nate Dogg)

As always, thanks to my genius beta reader, Luhverse. And I hope you'll enjoy this one too ^^

* * *

**VII. 'Till I collapse.**

When Amalia reached her door, that night, she wasn't her usual self. She thought putting a name on her feeling would help her be comfortable with it, but it didn't work that way. Instead she was afraid of it. She couldn't let anyone know about it, ever. Kitty had sworn she wouldn't tell anyone and Amalia trusted her. But she didn't know how she was going to live through days, standing so close to Logan, without him or anyone else discovering it. When she put her hand on her door knob she threw a glance at his bedroom door on the other side of the hallway, knowing he probably was sleeping without a clue. That felt like a blade going through her heart and she knew the feeling quite well having experienced it. Actually it wasn't as painful as the feeling she had right now, but she brushed it off and entered her room, quietly enough not to wake her brother up. He was, indeed, sleeping; his head under the covers as if the bed was some kind of cocoon that could protect him from what had and could happen to him. She let her gaze slide on his small shape and suppressed the urge to hug him tightly, once again too afraid of waking him up. So she just put her night gown on and went to bed, as silent as a ghost. For the first time in her life, she felt so down about the whole situation that she felt like crying. But she remained silent and curled up into a ball, her arms around her knees. It took her some time but she managed to sink into sleep eventually, physically and mentally exhausted.

When she woke up on the next morning, Amalia stuck to her words and started avoiding Logan as much as she could. She thought she would hide her feelings more efficiently if she didn't see him. So during the following days and weeks, she spent her time wandering around the mansion, watching over her brother without him knowing it, going to class and working assiduously in the library or in her room when the former place was empty. As Kitty had advised her, she started to mingle more into the crowd of students but only physically. She was watching her classmates, only nodding or shaking her head when she was asked something. She found the inside of a crowd was a good place to hide. The few times she actually was spotted by the self-defense teacher, she dived into a random conversation people were having next to her, making the Wolverine think she didn't see him. The only time she couldn't avoid him was during his class, but she stayed professional, sticking to the demonstrations they did together before monitoring the students' progress. Everything was good if it helped her escape his presence. It was hurting her, but it was for the best. She also found that her training in the compound helped her too. She started losing herself in work out sessions on her free time, deserting her books in favor of physical exercises. She turned the pain she felt into rage and took it out in the danger room until exhaustion. In a few weeks she had considerably increased her speed and stamina. Kitty watched her the whole time, worried about what she was turning into. She tried to stay with her every time she could, helping her keep her head above water, preventing her from drowning. But in spite of it all, what had to happen finally happened.

It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon of August and the self-defense course had been taken outside. The students were coming from everywhere in the mansion and were waiting for the class to start, chatting amongst themselves. She was watching everyone, leaning against a tree, a few feet away from them. As soon as Logan arrived, they sat on the grass and he motioned for her to take her place in front of him. She only nodded, locked up in silence since a few days now.

"Okay everyone, for your first class, we are going to see what advantages a smaller opponent has in a fight." he explained as he took his usual fighting stance. "This is mostly for girls and kids against adults."

Amalia stretched her limbs before raising her hands in front of her face, fists clenched.

"After a few classes I won't have to point this out again, but today I will." he carried on, pointing at the way she was protecting her face. "Hands, wrists and forearms are your best defense against head and chest blows. This is a common fighting stance, but it's one of the best for beginners. You should also notice how she balances her weight on her legs, if they are too close to each other you might fall at the first blow you take."

The students, who were the youngest of the school, nodded their head in agreement. Apart from a few of them, it was their first time in Logan's class and she saw some of them taking notes.

"Now I'll start attacking Amalia to the head." he commented before doing so.

The redhead duck and Logan's fist missed is target. As he withdrew it, she took her stance back in silence.

"As you can see, she is smaller than me and she didn't have to move a lot to avoid my blow." he carried on with his explanations, facing the students. "Another thing you have to learn in this class is to save your stamina because you don't know how long a fight can be. Later on we'll teach you how to finish a fight as quickly as possible for you not to be overpowered by your opponent for too long."

He faced Amalia again and told them that ducking wasn't the only thing they could do.

"Sometimes deflecting is better than dodging. Amalia is going to show you a linked-up movement, now. Pay attention because you'll have to do it too with one of your classmates in the second part of the course."

In a slow motion Logan threw the same punch he already used a few minutes ago. Deflecting the hand that was aimed at her nose with her forearm, the redhead took the opportunity of an opening in his fighting stance to throw a slow punch into Logan's stomach. It was the easiest move to make in that situation and it was a basic combo, making it essential in this self-defense 101 they were teaching. After this demonstration, they carried on with a few more techniques and exercises for the students to do before Logan spoke again:

"To close this course for today, we're now going to show you what you'll be able to do in a few months. Don't worry. Amalia and I have a strong healing factor so we won't hurt ourselves even if it looks like it."

He smiled at his sparring partner.

"Ready?" he asked her still smiling.

It's been so long since the last time they had sparred together that he was really looking forward to fight with her again. Amalia cracked her knuckles and nodded before taking back her fighting stance. Once she had done so, Logan initiated the fight. He launched himself at her and the redhead deflected his fist before punching him hard in the guts. He let out a low moan and was trying to straighten out but before he did so, Amalia hit him in his back with her elbow. The teacher stumbled during the fraction of a second before facing her once more. He came at her again but she dodged his attack quickly, only to throw him a few fast blows in the chest, palms hitting him hard. He took them all and fought back with a hook that missed her head from a few inches. Grabbing him by his neck she kneed him in the guts with all her strength, making him grunt in pain. He realized then that something was wrong with Amalia. She wasn't giving a self-defense demonstration anymore. She was really fighting him and he could see that she was on the verge to use her powers. He had to end the fight before it got out of hand. So he quickly grabbed her by her waist and threw her over his shoulder, making her land hard on the ground behind him. Instead of giving up, she used her situation to trip him up with her leg. Logan landed next to her where she was about to jump on him to smash his face in. But when her eyes met his, she just stopped herself. She had lost herself in her rage. She didn't know what to do anymore and she stayed on the floor as the Wolverine got up and held out his hand for her to take it. Amalia first looked at him, knowing how her hand will felt in his. She couldn't let him see that he was affecting her. But she then noticed all the students whispering among themselves. So she just took it and got on her feet as quickly as she could, without looking at him. Logan then clapped in her hands once to quieten everyone down.

"Alright, that was quite a demonstration." he said, smiling not showing the students there was something off with the redhead. "As you can see, Amalia and I are not of the same weight or height but we are equals in a fight because she knows how to defend herself. All you'll have to do is work on you moves with sparring partners once a week in this class or more on your free time if you want to improve quickly."

In the distance the bell of the school rang and Logan dismissed the course with a few words.

"Okay everyone. That's it for today. See you next week."

The kids thanked them before grabbing their bags and walking toward the mansion while chatting among them in excitement. It was lunch time and Logan turned on his heels to face Amalia. She had already got her stuff back and was making her way toward the mansion too, without even a word to him. Jogging lightly, he caught up with her in a few stride and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Want to go grab a bite?" he first asked her politely.

She didn't respond and turned her eyes in front of her, searching for some people to go with and avoid the tall professor again.

"Listen, Amalia…" he started to tell her, worried. "Is there something bothering you lately?"

She quickly shook her head, still silent.

"It's like you're avoiding me." he carried on. "We don't spar together anymore and I saw the logs of the danger room the other day. You're there quite often on your own. Don't overdo it, okay? It could be dangerous for you."

She shrugged casually, still not looking at him.

"Did something happen?" he pressed her, looking for an answer. "You know you can talk to me about everything, right?'

But she shook her head once more.

"Nothing happened." she finally said, voice as cold as she could. "Can I go now? Kitty is waiting for me. She asked me if we could eat together today."

Releasing her arm he nodded, frowning.

"Okay. See you later then."

The redhead nodded before heading toward the dining room where she searched for her brown-haired friend. She grabbed a plate of rice and chicken before sitting down opposite the young woman who'd became her confident a few weeks ago.

"Hi, sweety." she greeted her with a light smile. "How was Logan's class?"

Amalia sighed deeply while playing with her food.

"That bad? You have to do something about it, girl. Don't let those feelings destroy you and the friendship you share with him."

"I almost lost it there." the redhead told her, while remembering the demonstration. "I was so focused on the fight that I almost smashed his face in."

Kitty looked up from her plate in shock.

"What? Are you crazy?" Kitty almost yelled. "This has to stop immediately, Amy!"

The redhead didn't answer. She knew her friend was right but she couldn't tell him or let him know the way she felt about him. It was impossible.

"He was going to stop me anyway. He is way stronger than me, you know." she just said, changing the subject not to answer Kitty.

The brown-haired woman was about to retort something to her when Bobby and Marie sat next to them.

"Hey, Amy. I'm glad you could make it today." Rogue told her, genuinely happy to eat with the redhead. "How was Logan's class?"

Kitty and Amalia exchanged a glance.

"It was okay, why?" she answered, lying.

Marie shrugged.

"I don't know. I think Logan is acting weird lately, right Bobby?"

The young man nodded his head while gulping a mouthful of meat.

"Yeah! It's like there is something off with him." he finally told the girls. "Like the other day, we were playing table football in the common room while he was watching TV and he didn't yell at us because he couldn't hear the game like he usually does. He just stayed there, fixing the TV without moving. I'm not even sure he was paying attention to the screen."

Marie nodded before talking again.

"And I overheard Ororo and Jean talking in the hallway earlier today. They think there is something wrong with him too. They say he goes jogging to the lake at dusk almost every day off."

Kitty and Amalia exchanged a new glance and the redhead acted like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"He can jog wherever he wants. Why is this weird?"

Marie leaned on the table, whispering.

"He never went there before. He didn't like the lake because it was remembering him some bad things about his past."

"Are you talking about Alkali Lake?" Amalia asked her, surprised by her friend's words.

But Marie shrugged, not aware of this part of Logan's life.

"I don't know but that's really starting to creep me out." she said, shivering. "It's like it's not him anymore."

Bobby nodded before adding:

"Another thing he stopped doing: going to the liquor store. He usually goes there every week to refill his beer stock."

Suddenly Marie had an expression of pure horror on her face.

"What? What happened?" Kitty pressed her for an answer.

"He stopped smoking cigars too!" she exclaimed before putting a hand on her mouth to stop herself from being overheard by the other people around them.

Amalia exchanged another glace with Kitty.

"You have to do something." her friend mouthed her as discreetly as she could while Marie and Bobby were still discussing the matter.

But the redhead didn't know what she could do so she remained silent and tried to finish her plate, not really enjoying her food. Once she had done so, she got up, pretending she had something to do and escaped quickly the dining room. She wandered in the park, thinking about the talk she had with her friends, still not finding any solution. The bell rang again, indicating that lunch time was over and she headed to the next class.

A few hours later, Amalia was walking toward the kitchen after having spent some times in the danger room again. She was exhausted physically and emotionally and she needed food. Entering the place she was looking for, she grabbed an apple and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge before going out. As she left the mansion, her path crossed Logan's. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost bumped into him.

"Hey, Amalia." he greeted her with a light smile. "How was your day?"

She shrugged before passing him.

"It was ok, I guess…" was her answer.

"Listen, kid… I see you have something on your mind." he told her, grabbing her arm to make her face him. "Maybe if you talk to me about it, I'll be able to help you."

Yanking her forearm away, she tried to release it from his grip but he didn't budge.

"Let me go." she just said in a whisper, tired.

But Logan shook his head.

"I won't until you tell me what's wrong with you." he told her. "Come on, I want to help."

The redhead eyes started to water and she lowered her head to hide it, her hair falling around her face as a thick curtain.

"I said let me go!" she repeated in a stronger tone. "Let me be."

She tried to free herself from his hand once again but the Wolverine hold his grip, tightening it up.

"Damn it, kid!" he almost yell, feeling frustrated by her silence. "Why are you so uncommunicative lately? We used to talk a lot, you and me. What happened to you?"

Her eyes still on the ground, she clenched her jaws as tears started to slide on her cheeks.

"Let go of me!" she shout, her voice quivering.

But he still didn't loosen his grip.

"Amalia! Look at me!" he yelled to make her look up.

But she stubbornly stayed still. Sighing, the Wolverine grabbed her chin with his free hand and pulled her head up. Tears were now pouring from her eyes freely and Logan released her at that shocking sight. She used the opportunity to turn around, dropping her water bottle and her fruit in the meanwhile and started running toward Brakestone Lake. The tall professor yelled her name and started running after her as she didn't stop.

"Let me be!" she yelled again, aware of his presence in her back. "Stay away from me!"

But he carried on, quickening his pace to catch up with her.

"I don't want to see you anymore!" she continued yelling as she stopped to face him, her face drenched in tears. "Don't you understand? We aren't friends, Logan. I want you to stay away from me!"

The tall professor stopped dead in his tracks, shocked by her words.

"I want you to leave me the fuck alone!" she carried on, her words hurting her as much as they were hurting him. "Can't you understand that? I am done with you! Get the fuck out of my life!"

The look in his eyes made her feel like a thousand needles piercing her heart, but she stayed strong and held her ground. He was about to tell her something but she vanished in thin air, turning invisible, before running from him as quickly as she could. She ended up on the lake shore where she looked at the water before sitting in the dirt. There, in the quietness of the night, she curled into a ball and cried for so long she lost track of time.


	8. VIII Night terrors

Hey, me again ;p

So here is the eighth chapter of this story. Thanks to the amazing work of Luhverse. This girl is gold :)

The title, 'Night terrors' is the name of a song by 'Static-X' on their album 'Start a war'. Not my favorite album but the name of the song was kind of perfect for this chapter :)

Sorry, it's a short one but it's an intense one :)

Be careful, if you don't like blood and gory stuff don't read. You'll miss a important part of the main characters' relationship improvement but this chapter can be really disturbing for some of you. Hell, it was for me to imagine it :s

For the other, enjoy :)

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**VIII. Night terrors.**

Once she had calmed herself, Amalia made her way back to her bedroom. She was a pale copy of herself and she craved for the bliss of sleep. How would she be able to face him again after that night? She didn't want to think about it and changed into her pajamas before going to bed. The quiet breathing of her brother in the other bed helped her relax and she gave in to exhaustion as she sunk into sleep. On the other side of the hallway, Logan was in his bed, only wearing a pair of light grey sweat-pants. The nights were getting really uncomfortable because of the heat that warmed the mansion during the day. The only thing that helped was the opened window and the slight breeze that was coming from outside. But the heat wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. Somehow he couldn't stop his brain from remembering Amalia's words. It was like the damn talk they had an hour ago was on repeat and he couldn't keep it from doing so. Every little detail was amplified, like the way her tears had been pouring on her cheeks, and the painful words she had threw at him. He tossed and turned during almost three long hours, trying to get some sleep but couldn't, replaying everything that had happened since the redhead and his brother came to the mansion a month and a half ago. He still remembered clearly the day they had jogged to the lake and the swim they took after that. How her skin felt soft against his, the beauty of her eyes when she had smiled at him too many times for him to count them. What had gone wrong? What did he do that pushed her away? He sighed deeply, still not able to find sleep. From where he was, he could sense her presence across the hall, few yards from him and it was hurting him to know how close but far away she was from him now. There was something about her that had been shaking him to his core since he had met her. In the silence of the dark room, he whispered her name, letting the letters play on his lips with pleasure and, suddenly, the place he was resting in felt empty. He knew already what it was. He had already been in love in his life, several times actually and he wasn't some teenage boy that couldn't understand the meaning of it all. But she was so young compared to him and it felt so wrong. She was almost thirty, yes, but that didn't mean it was right. She didn't have the experience of life the other women her age, like Marie or Kitty, had. She was less aware of that matter than teenagers nowadays. And most of all, she didn't want to have to deal with him anymore. As he turned to face his alarm clock, that showed 3:08 AM, he heard a scream in the hallway. It was a long and high pitched scream of pain at first, quickly followed by cries for help. Getting up in a few seconds, Logan burst into the corridor and followed the sound that led him to Amalia's bedroom. He had heard her sometimes during the nights, as she had some bad dreams, but nothing like that before. As he violently opened her door, he found himself face to face with Liam. The boy was shaking hard as he watched his sister twitching and turning in her bed, sheets covered with dark and thick blood. She was still screaming unintelligible words and Logan gently but quickly pushed her brother on the side to kneel next to her.

"Amalia!" he first called her with a strong voice, trying to wake her up. "Come on, Amalia! It's okay. Wake up! Look at me!"

But she wouldn't open her eyes. He tried again as Jean and Scott, whose bedroom was next to his, came into the room, awaken by the redhead's screams.

"Take care of the boy!" Logan yelled to them without looking away from the bloody shape of the redhead.

He put his hand on her face, wanting to slap her to wake her up at first but couldn't bring himself to do so. So he grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard instead.

"Amalia!" he called her again. "Damn it, Amy! Wake up!"

Suddenly she took a deep breath in and coughed some blood while opening her eyes. They were wide and bloodshot as they frantically searched something through the room.

"Liam!" she screamed. "Where is Liam!"

"He's with Jean and Scott, he's safe, Amy." he told her, gently. "Don't worry. It was a bad dream."

She tried to sit up but another scream escape her mouth before she coughed some more blood.

"What happened?" she asked between fit of coughing, her voice hoarse and weak.

But Logan shook his head as he didn't know what to say.

"I'll uncover you now to see if it's bad, ok?" he told her instead, trying to calm her even if he was worried. "You trust me? I'm not going to hurt you, you know that, right?"

She nodded and closed her eyes, waiting for him to look at her wounds. As gently as he could, he peeled the covers from her body to see why she was hurt. Even if he thought he had seen everything until now, nothing he had lived through could prepare him for what he saw. The bed was drenched with blood and lots of her guts were spread out on the mattress. He pushed his worrying thoughts away to focus on the situation. The only weapon he saw was a ball of spike made of some kind of metal that was plunged deep inside her flesh. The ball was still moving like it has its own life and Amalia was trying hard to suppress her screams.

"Oh my god! What is that?" she cried as she saw the weapon cutting through her wide opened stomach that was constantly regenerating itself. "Get it off of me!"

She was panicking and he soothed her with more words.

"It's gonna be okay. Look at me!" he told her with a deep voice. "I need you to calm down and to trust me, ok?"

She nodded, tears in her eyes and sweat on her forehead. As gently as he can, he plunged his hand into her abdomen and grabbed the deadly ball that started cutting through his own flesh. With clenched jaws, he grabbed it and tried to yank it out of her, making her scream in the same time. But the weapon wasn't moving from its bloody nest. He did it again, before noticing his actions were pulling her arm behind her back.

"Ok, Amy. I need you to calm down. I think you're doing this to yourself. It's your hand that is attacking you." he told her, putting his bleeding hand on her cheek.

"What?"

She didn't understand what he was telling her. Stroking her cheeks with his thumb he told her once again:

"You're doing this to yourself. Maybe because you had a nightmare and your body reacted to eliminate the threat. It's your hand that is in your flesh."

She looked at the deadly ball of spikes before breathing in deeply. She coughed another mouthful of blood before closing her eyes and frowning. She focused on her hand and reshaped it as quickly as she could before getting it out behind her back. A few more tears escaped her eyes as she felt her skin and guts healing themselves.

"It's ok, now. It's over." Logan told her while gently pulling her toward him, burying her head in his chest and rocking her gently. "It's over."

She wasn't bleeding anymore but she was paler than usual from the blood loss. It was only then that he got aware of the commotion in the hallway. He heard Kitty screaming at someone to let her pass, while Marie and Bobby were trying to calm her down. He knew he had to get up and to calm the students too, but he couldn't bring himself to release her.

"You okay?" he asked her as he helped her to get up.

She tiredly nod and tried to stand on her legs but they gave away under her weight. So Logan grabbed her under her knees and behind her back before carrying her to the corridor.

"It's okay, every one." he talk louder than he usually did to cover the noise. "It was just a bad dream. Amalia is okay. I'll take her to the infirmary now, so you should go back to you rooms and try to get some sleep."

A few feet from him, Kitty managed to get away from her friends' grip and made her way through the small crowd of students.

"Is she okay? Oh my god! What happened? Why is she drenched in blood?" the young brown-haired panicked at the sight of her friend.

"She is okay, Kitty. She had a bad dream. Her body reacted at the threat and attacked her." he explained quickly as he made his way toward the huge stair case.

"She did this to herself?" Kitty asked, horrified by the thought of it.

Logan simply nodded.

"But it's okay now. I'm gonna take care of her. Go back to sleep." he told her while heading to the first floor.

It was Kitty's turn to nod.

"If I can do anything, just tell me, ok?" she added before watching him go down the stairs.

He was half way to the last ones when he turned around and called the brown-haired woman back.

"Kitty! Actually there is something you can do for me. Could you take care of Liam, please?" he asked her, suddenly concerned about the redhead brother. "I don't think he should sleep alone tonight."

She nodded before following him.

"I think Jean had taken him to the infirmary too." she said, explaining why she was following him. "I'll let him sleep in my bed tonight and watch over him."

The Wolverine nodded, silent and he only stopped walking for Kitty to open the elevator to the basement. They reached the infirmary a few minutes later and, as they had thought, the young boy was there, waiting for her sister to show up or for someone to tell him something. When he saw her entering the room in Logan's arms, relief came across his features and he instantaneously got up. Kitty put her hand on his shoulder to draw his attention to her.

"Amy is okay, Liam. She'll have to take some rest but it's over."

"What happened?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

Kitty gently explained him what Logan had told her a few minutes ago before telling him that he will have to sleep in her bedroom for the rest of the night.

"Your bedroom will be cleaned tomorrow morning, so you can't sleep in there until it's done." she carry on with explanations. "Are you ok with that?"

He nodded while his gaze was still on her sister's shape that rested on a table for Jean to auscultate her.

"Where will she sleep?" he asked Kitty, turning his worried eyes to her.

But the brown-haired girl had no idea, so she shrugged before patting his head in a gentle way.

"Don't worry; even if she stays here for the night, I know Logan is going to watch her closely. She will be safer here than anywhere else."

Liam nodded once more before following Kitty to her room where he slept in her bed, his back pressed against her chest and her arms around him to comfort him.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary Logan sat in a chair, his gaze not leaving the white skin of Amalia's face. Jean worked around her, monitoring her blood pressure and other factors to determine if she was still in danger. But Amalia's DNA had the same healing factor than Logan so she started to grow stronger and healthier by every second.

"She's going to be okay." Jean told the Wolverine while she was done and the redhead's cheeks were pinker than when she had been carried inside the infirmary.

Logan nodded to thank her and got up to gently arrange Amalia's bang on her forehead.

"What happened to you?" Jean asked him while watching him.

He didn't answer but turned an interrogative gaze to her.

"You've been acting strange lately." she carried on. "And you're being more protective about her than you were with Marie."

Logan shrugged before sighing. He made himself sure Amalia was sleeping before facing Jean.

"I think I love her…" he voiced his feelings for the first time before correcting himself. "No I'm sure of it."

As Jean stayed silent, he carried on.

"I think it started a month ago. At first I was drawn to her because of her past and the way it was similar to mine. But it soon changed from interest to something more."

The woman he faced didn't spoke, letting him go through his explanations.

"I think it's wrong, though." he told her while facing the sleeping redhead once again. "She is so young compared to me… and she doesn't know half of the things women her age know about the world. She is still experimenting things that average girls did with their family when they were young and…"

He sighed.

"I don't know. I… I can't explain this. She needs someone around her own age with who she can experiment things in a healthier way than she might do with me."

Jean walked her way around the table and put her hand on his shoulder blade.

"Does she know?" she asked him before developing. "Does she know how you feel?"

Logan shrugged, his eyes still passing over Amalia's sleeping features.

"I never told her, if that's the question." he just answered her before sighing. "And even if I had, she doesn't want to have anything to do with me. She hates me, she told me so today."

A kind smile took shape on Jean's lips.

"I don't think she hates you, Logan." the nurse told him, still smiling. "On the contrary. I think she loves you too and she pushed you away for the same reasons you were telling me. She doesn't think she is good enough for you, among other things."

The tall professor frowned at her words.

"How do you know that?" he asked her, not understanding where her logic came from.

"First of all, I'm a woman too." Jean said to him, amused. "But I'm also a telepath, remember? And… Kitty came to see me today. She said she had sworn to Amalia to keep it a secret, but she was too worried about how things were turning between you two. So she talk to me about a discussion the two of them had three weeks ago."

Logan was speechless. Everything was coming into place slowly. She'd started avoiding him after the swim they took in the lake three weeks ago. She had acted casually around him after it, that night but then she had stopped talking to him. She'd kept her distances and lost herself into training sessions in the danger room and her studies.

"Maybe you just need to stop worrying about what's right and wrong and tell her how you feel." Jean said gently. "You went through hell and back in two different realities. It may be time for you to let things go and enjoy being with someone who can understand what you went through. Even if your lives are slightly different, you share something similar; you're made from the same wood. The way you see life and people…"

She let he sentence hang in the air and he shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe you're right." he simply said before turning toward Jean once again. "Do you need her to stay here?"

"No." the nurse of the said, shaking her head. "She is like you. She is healing quite well. But she can't go back to her own room tonight. I'm going to get her another room for the night, what do you think?"

Logan shook his head.

"No, she can't stay alone. What is something similar happen again, or if she wakes up alone? I already get Kitty to take care of Liam. Amalia needs to sleep in someone's room for tonight."

Jean nodded again and proposed hers but Logan shook his head once more.

"No, I'll take care of her. If she injures someone in her sleep, she could kill whoever it is. I think I'll let her sleep with me tonight. Even if she wounds me, I'll heal."

The nurse nodded while turning to the door.

"I'll let you take care of her, then. Try not to beat yourself too much about your feelings. I think you're the one who's wrong. You should give it a go if she wants it too. Good night Logan."

He nodded before sighing again.

"Thanks. Good night, Jean." he told her as she left the room and he turned his eyes to Amalia once again.

"Okay. I'll take care of you now." he said in the silence of the white room before taking the redhead in his arms and carried her to his room.

She was heavier than before even if she was still light, meaning she was healing nicely. He entered his bedroom without making any sound to wake her up and gently placed her in his bed. He then made his way to the other side of it and lay next to her. Sighing, he closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep. But every time she moved he watched her, worried something will happen again. At some point she started to get agitated and he came closer to her, taking her in his arms.

"It's okay, Amy. You're safe now, so is your brother." he whispered in her ear feeling her soft skin brushing against his, burning its way through him. "I'll keep you safe."

She then stopped tossing and sighed quietly in her sleep before turning her back to him and leaning against his chest. Encircling her with his arm, he buried his nose into her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. Somehow it made him relax and he finally gave in to sleep as his alarm clock showed 5:12 AM.


	9. IX Give it a go

Hey guys :)

Ninth chapter's here :D Luhverse, once again, you're a genius ;)

The title of this one 'Give it a go' is from the movie's OST of 'Real Steel.' and is by Timbaland and Veronica

Another day in mutants' paradise for you ;) But don't get too comfy, things are about to move in the next chapters :)

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**IX. Give it a go.**

Amalia woke up to a light snoring noise. She wasn't in her room and she panicked, getting out of the bed quickly, ready to fight whatever could come. But the place was quiet, the silence only disturbed by a man's breathing. Looking at him, she was surprised to find Logan and her cheeks started burning. Why was she in his room? Had she slept in his arms? Why? What had happened? And where was Liam? As she tried to recall what had led her here, the previous night gruesome sight of her hand sticking into her stomach and cutting through her flesh came back to her. Then she had been taken in the infirmary by Logan where she had fallen asleep. Not knowing what to do, she stayed there in a corner of the room and let her gaze slid on the Wolverine's sleeping features. His left arm was lying across the mattress, where her body had been a few seconds ago and the thought of his arm and hand on her made her blush harder. Throwing a quick glance at his alarm clock, she took notice of the time. It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon and her stomach growled to tell her she needed to eat something. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon and she needed the food badly. Without a sound, she left the room and went to hers to take a shower and get dressed. After a quick glance around the room that told her someone had took care of her filthy bed sheets, she threw away her bloody and raggedy pajamas before stepping into the bathtub. She let the water wash the tenseness and nervous stress from the previous night before putting some clothes on. She had retrieved a turquoise short-sleeved t-shirt and a white pair of shorts from her closet and put them on top of a white bra and panties. She then slipped her black skater shoes on over a pair of white socks before heading to the kitchen, on the first floor. The hallways were empty because the students were attending their afternoon classes and she enjoyed the quietness of the place. Grabbing some leftovers in the fridge, she heard a voice in her head.

'_Hi, sis'._' her brother voice greeted her, genuinely happy she was okay. '_Did you sleep well?_'

'_Yes, thanks, Liam. Where did you sleep last night?_' she asked him while eating some salad.

Somehow the answer he gave her was embarrassed.

'_I was with Kitty._' she heard him say in her head and she chuckled at how uncomfortable it made him. '_Don't laugh at me, okay? It's weird to sleep in someone else's arms…_'

A light laugh escaped Amalia's mouth at his sentence.

'_You slept in a girl's arms? Whoa, way to go, bro'._' she teased him. '_You're grown man now._'

She could almost see him pout at her words before he changed the subject:

'_You can speak, lady! How are Mr. Howlett's arms? As warm and safe than you had imagined them to be?_'

Amalia almost chocked on her food as the tall professor enter the room, yawning. He had showered, shaved and changed his clothes, wearing his usual jean and white wife-beater under an opened flannel shirt.

'_What? Did something happen between you two?_' her brother carried on, teasing her in her head, making her blush hard. '_Way to go, sis'_!'

But she didn't respond, her gaze following Logan as he grabbed a bottle of water and some food from the fridge.

'_Uhm, I have to go, Liam._' she told her brother to end the conversation. '_I'll see you later._'

'_Yeah, right. I'd better focus on Mr. Wagner's class anyway. See you…_'

And with that he was gone from her head. As she shoved another lettuce leaf in her mouth she watched the Wolverine on the sly. He was making himself a sandwich in silence. He then sat on one of the stools in the room to eat and his eyes met hers. She looked away, embarrassed by what she saw in them. There was a mix of concern, pain and some feeling she couldn't decipher but was making her blush. She quickly finished her plate and went to the sink to wash it, still silent. She could feel his eyes on her, burning a hole into her back, as she wiped dry the dish. Once she was done with it, she put the plate back where it belonged and made her way to the hallway. As she reached the door, she stopped and bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying again.

"Thanks. For last night." she then said in a low voice, not turning to look at Logan.

Not waiting for an answer, she left the kitchen and went outside. The sun wasn't at his highest point anymore but it was still quite hot. She thought the lake shore would be a better place to rest in this heat. She headed toward it, strolling under the trees where the temperature was cooler. Once she reached Brakestone Lake, she found a nice spot on some rocks and took off her shoes and socks to dip her feet in the water. It wasn't too cold and it felt nice on her skin. She considered diving into the lake but the memory of the swim she had taken there three weeks ago came back to her, stopping her. Dipping her finger in the water, she started to draw geometrical patterns on the rocks next to her.

"I never thought this place could be so nice before I met you."

She was startled as she heard Logan's voice in her back and was about to stand when he told her not to. She heard him sitting a few feet from her, behind her.

"I… I'm sorry, Amy." he said, struggling with words, voice low and husky. "I'm not very good at this, but I need you to listen to what I have to tell you."

The way he had called her surprised her as much as it made her blush and she stayed silent, waiting for him to carry on.

"I'm sorry but… I can't stay away from you." he told her quietly. "I know you said you wanted me to, but I just can't. It hurts too much."

Amalia didn't answer, speechless, as he continued to speak.

"We are made from the same wood. You said that to me a while ago and I think you were right. I can't let you go… I care too much about you. And yesterday night, after I saw you… drenched in blood… It was like a punch in the guts. I can't leave you alone."

She turned her head toward his voice to look at him, still remaining silent. His eyes were closed as he sat with his feet flat on the ground and his hands resting on his knees. Somehow he seemed at peace as he spoke again.

"I just can't." he told her, opening his eyes and looking straight at her. "Do you understand?"

Tears were running freely down Amalia's face but she nodded. As he saw that she was crying, he quickly got up and kneeled in front of her before taking her in his strong arms, pulling her onto his chest. At this point she couldn't stop herself and he let her cry as much as she needed to, rocking her to comfort her.

"I… I'm sorry, Logan…" were the first words that escaped her mouth in a rasping voice, her throat sore from all the crying. "I… All those awful things I said to you…"

He stroked her hair, soothing her.

"It's okay. I know." he whispered in her ear. "You didn't mean them."

Amalia shook her head against his white wife-beater.

"I didn't want to hurt you." she carried on, between sobs. "But I couldn't stop myself. I thought you would… You would see right through me. I couldn't tell you how I felt. I thought you were going to push me away. So I…"

"So you did it yourself." he said, finishing her sentence making her nod against him. "Oh god! You don't know much about life, but you sure know how to hurt a man, Amy."

His words increased her cries and he stroked her hair again.

"It's okay, Amy. It's okay." he told her again. "Look at me."

She lifted her head up to see his face through her tears. He was so close to her now, his eyes staring back at hers and his free hand had cupped her right cheek.

"I love you, Amalia."

Then, like the most natural thing of the world, he sealed their lips in a kiss; making her blush as her heart was beating so hard she thought it might explode. Her mouth was a little salty from her tears but he didn't mind, he liked the way her lips felt on his. It was like a satin veil and soon he wasn't able to stop himself, kissing her more and more deeply. He was craving for her touch as much as her skin and he let the hand that was still in her hair slide along her back, searching for the hem of her t-shirt. She pressed herself hard against him, driven by the same desire and she let her hands find the way under his white wife-beater where she caressed his skin with pleasure. But, against all expectations, he stopped her, parting lightly from her.

"Easy, girl. Take your time." he told her with a smile. "We don't have to rush things."

Amalia nodded before stroking his cheek.

"What about we take a swim?" he asked her after kissing the palm of her hand. "It's gotten hot here."

She chuckled and nodded once again. They took off their clothes and entered the water in their underwear. Enjoying the coolness of the lake, they played in its water for almost an hour before getting out. It was around five o'clock and they knew that soon the place would be filled with students so they just lay on the grass en let the late afternoon sun dry their skin as they stayed there, in silence, just enjoying being with each other. When the bell rang for the last time of the day, they just put their clothes back on before heading to the mansion to grab a snack. They walked slowly, next to each other, her tiny hand resting in his big one. As they reached the kitchen, she looked at him, nervous.

"What is it?" he asked her as she grabbed an apple.

"What are we going to do about the others?" she asked him, not sure how to put her thoughts into words.

He looked at her, surprised by her question before coming closer.

"You want to know if I care about what people will think if I do… that?" he asked her before kissing her lips lightly.

Closing her eyes, she almost dropped the fruit resting in her hand.

"I don't care, Amy." he told her as he parted slightly from her. "I don't want it to be a secret."

She nodded, trying to stop her lips from smiling an irrepressible grin. He chuckled a laugh at her behavior and kissed her once more. As he ended the kiss, they heard someone gasping behind them. Turning around, Logan found Bobby looking at them and gaping at what he had just witnessed.

"Bobby?" Marie's voice was heard behind him as she entered the kitchen too. "What is it? What happened?"

Not paying much attention, Logan grabbed two small bottles of water in the fridge and some cookies before taking Amalia's hand in his and leaving the room under the students gaze. The redhead blushed hard but she squeezed his hand in hers as they went back outside. They sat in the grass once again and ate their snack in silence.

"What do you want to do?" Logan asked her when they had finished their meal.

Amalia shrugged and looked around her.

"Wanna play basketball?" he said, pointing at the sport field.

"Why not. It's been a while." she answered him while getting up.

They made their way to the basketball court where they played for almost an hour. Like the previous time, a little crowd gathered around them, cheering them and enjoying the game. Amalia lost once again, but it didn't mattered. She was just happy to be around him again and to know he felt the same way about her. After that, they took a walk in the woods before going back to the mansion. The redhead made them crepes and they ate them with some ham and cheese, while chatting casually about their next self-defense course. They were about to leave the kitchen once again when Professor Xavier entered the room.

"Hello, Amalia. Logan? Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked the Wolverine. "Alone."

The tall close quarter combat teacher nodded before following him. As he left the kitchen, he turned to Amalia and smiled at her.

"See you later." he simply said while winking at her.

She smiled back and watched him leaving before going to the common room. She sat on the couch and turned the TV on, skipping through channels to find something interesting. She was there since a few minutes when she was joined by her tree usual friends and her brother.

"Amy!" Kitty exclaimed as she took place rather violently next to her, happy to see the redhead. "How was your day? I didn't see you in class."

Liam took place on her other side and hugged her hard.

"It was nice." Amalia answered her, smiling, once her brother had released her. "I went for a swim in the lake. You should try it sometimes. The water is really good with this weather."

Bobby brought a chair and sat on it, Marie on his lap.

"Where you alone?" he asked her suddenly.

He was the only witness of the kiss she and Logan had shared in the kitchen, and she already knew what he was implying.

"No." she answered casually. "I was with Logan."

Marie and Kitty exchanged a glance, the later more pleased by the news than the former. It was common knowledge that Rogue had a crush on Logan for some time until Bobby became her boyfriend and somehow she still had protective feelings about the tall professor. Oblivious of this, Liam nudged his sister side with his elbow.

"Way to go, sis'." he told her with a wink.

Amalia chuckled at his words, remembering the talk they had telepathically when she was in the kitchen, after she had woken up.

"I wanna know all about it." Kitty said to her, curious about the juicy details.

But Amalia shrugged before telling her there was nothing to say.

"We played basketball after that and took a walk in the woods." she explained, smiling at the memories. "See? No big deal."

She then changed the subject, asking for her friends' notes of the day classes. They chatted casually until Logan came into the room. He nodded to everyone as they greeted him and he made his way around the couch where he stood behind Amalia, his elbows resting on its leathered back. Waiting for the redhead to finish what she was discussing with her friends he looked at the TV that was still playing a comedy. After a few minutes, she turned her face to him, curious he wasn't saying anything.

"I think we should talk, Amy." he whispered in her ear.

The redhead nodded and excused herself before getting out of the room, Logan's hand on the small of her back. Glancing around the hallway to see if they were alone, she asked the tall man what he wanted to talk about.

"I had a talk with Chuck, earlier." Logan said in a quiet voice. "And he knows."

Amalia frowned, not really understanding what he was telling her.

"About us." Logan said while motioning his index finger between the two of them. "He knows about us."

Worry came upon the young woman face as she felt an uneasy feeling creeping inside her head. Was Professor Xavier going to stop them being together? She waited for the man in front of her to speak, anxious.

"He said he was okay with it as long as it doesn't have an impact on your grades." the Wolverine carried on. "So from now on, I'm going to make sure you're working your ass off on every subject, okay?"

Amalia chuckled at his words and the way he was serious.

"Don't worry. I won't stop studying because we are together." she told him. "I'm not that stupid."

He stroked her hair before kissing her lightly.

"Good." he said with a smile. "I prefer smart girls anyways."

Smirking, she punched him in the shoulder to stop him from joking some more. Logan laughed at her behavior before kissing her again. But it didn't last long. Hearing some footsteps behind them, the tall professor ended their intimate exchange before facing the new comer.

"Hi, Mr. Howlett." a small voiced greeted him.

"Hey, Millie. Why aren't you in bed?" he asked the blond teenager, almost scolding her.

The young girl, who Amalia recognized from her first day at Professor Xavier's institute, apologized before turning toward the redhead.

"I… I didn't want to disturb you." she said in a tiny voice, worried she might get into trouble. "I just wanted to talk to Amalia about Liam."

The redhead and her companion exchanged a look, both frowning.

"What is it, Millie?" Amalia told her with a gentle tone. "Is my brother in trouble?"

The young girl threw a quick look around, checking they were alone in the hallway before facing the redhead again.

"No, I was just wondering if…" she hesitantly said before taking a deep breath. "Did Liam mention me?"

The blond-haired teenager was blushing so hard she could be used as a beacon in a full blizzard storm. Amalia smiled before biting the inside of her mouth not to laugh.

"He did, yes." the redhead answered the petite girl nicely. "Several times actually."

And it was true. She recalled her brother talking to her about this nice young lady he thought was 'quite intelligent' and 'cute'.

"Do you want me to give him a message?" she asked with a kind smile. "Or maybe I could speak to him on your behalf, what do you think?"

Even if Amalia thought it would be impossible, the teenager's cheeks grew redder as she nodded.

"It would be awesome." she said with the cutest voice Amalia had ever heard.

The redhead nodded, agreeing to her request before telling her to go to bed because it was late. The girl thanked her before leaving the hallway as she ran toward the staircase, in order to get back to her room. As she straighten up and faced Logan once again, she found his eyes on her, a mysterious glimmer in his eyes.

"What?" she asked him, curious.

Logan smiled even more mysteriously and put his left hand in his pocket, while the other one wrapped the young woman's shoulder, he then lead her back to the common room to join their friends who were playing a car race game on the TV. Tapping him lightly in the shoulder, she silently asked him what he was thinking as he had looked at her that way. After several attempt, he finally gave in, slightly chuckling.

"I just thought you would make a wonderful teacher… and mother, one day."

She froze, shocked by his words. She never thought she would have heard those kinds of words in the Wolverine's mouth, but there it had happened. Recovering from her surprise she smiled at him.

"Just watch me." she whispered in his ear.

She then turned her face to her brother who was so engrossed into the game he had his tongue in between his teeth.

"Liam." she called him.

As she only was answered by an inarticulate sound, she called him again in a stronger tone.

"Liam."

The teenager grunted and he turned his eyes on his sister.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed, now." she told him in a calm tone that brooked no argument.

Around her, the room fell silent and everyone's eyes turned toward the two siblings. Her brother looked up at her, mouth agape, speechless, before getting up.

"Yes, you're right." he told her before gathering his stuff.

He walk toward her and kissed her cheek nicely before saying good night to everyone and leaving the room. Once she was sure he was far enough and wouldn't hear her, she grinned as people looked at her with respect in their eyes.

"Nice!" Logan congratulated her before kissing her hair. "That's my girl."

She chuckled before escaping his arm, that was still on her shoulder and sat where Liam was a few seconds ago, taking the controller he had left.

"So, how do you play this thing?" she then said, her eyes glued to the screen.

Bobby laughed before explaining the controls to her. Once she had memorized them all, she played with them during almost half an hour. Logan sat on the arm of the couch and watched her with an almost imperceptible smile. She lost two races against the Iceman before giving the controller to Kitty.

"I think it's time for me to go to bed too." she voiced while getting up.

Her companion followed her while saying that he'll see her to her room. So Amalia told her goodnights and the two of them left the room, his right arm around her shoulder again. Even if they walked slowly, they reached her bedroom door too quickly for her liking and she sighed at the sight of it.

"Goodnight, beautiful." Logan told her gently before giving her a passionate kiss.

He was driving her crazy and, as their lips were hungrily moving against each other, she grabbed the hem of his blue jean and pulled him closer to her, pressing herself onto him. The sweet scent of her body filled the wolverine's mind and he deepened their intimate exchange, pushing her as silently as possible against the wainscoted wall of the hallway. His hands left the back of her neck to slide under her t-shirt, grazing her soft skin with pleasure, making her moan. They both wanted more and the only thing that was stopping them from carrying on was the teenager sleeping behind them, in Amalia's bedroom. It was the sound of a door opening in Logan's back that forced them to end their kiss. Turning to see who it was, the tall professor grunted as he was greeted by Scott's words.

"Get a room!" he told them, before entering his own.

Logan and Amalia shared a surprised look before both snorting a laugh.

"Goodnight, Amy." he told her once again, his voice huskier than usual.

Knowing he was trying to control himself, she lightly kissed his cheek.

"Sleep well, Logan." she said, whispering it into his ear before entering her bedroom quickly.

She knew that if she stayed for too long in the hallway with him, they wouldn't be able to stop themselves, so she headed toward the bathroom to take a cold shower before slipping into her favorite night gown and getting into bed.


	10. X And the world was gone

Hey hey y'all.

So here is my last update for today/tonight.

This tenth chapter is named 'And the world was gone' which is a song from the album 'A small murmuration' by 'Snow ghosts' I really love this album and I listened to this song more than a 100th time since I started writing this story.

So, thanks to Luhverse, I just updated this story with five chapters. This girl is really priceless.

Now, this story will have two more chapters and an epilogue which are still in progress but should be finished in the next weeks. You may have to wait a little more for my beta to correct them and me to post them. So brace yourself and wait patiently.

A little warning, there is a scene in the beginning of the chapter that contains mature content. As I warned you, I won't be held responsible for the people underage who still read it.

Enjoy and please review. Tell me what do you think about this story so far.

* * *

**X. And the world was gone.**

It was almost two in the morning and Amalia was tossing and turning in her bed, slightly pissed by her brother's steady breathing. The air in the room was too hot and she pushed her covers from her body to cool it down. But somehow she knew the room wasn't responsible for her temperature. The kiss she'd shared with Logan in the hallway, a couple of hours ago, was what still made her feel so hot. She turned once again, putting her pillow on her head to muffle the sound of a snoring Liam, but she could still hear him through it. After ten long minutes, she couldn't stand it anymore and she got out of her bed silently before leaving the room. She didn't know where to go from there and she sighed. She thought about the common room, but she didn't like the idea of being too far from her brother while he was vulnerable. She was considering sleeping on the floor, in front of her door, even if she didn't like the thought of lying on the hard ground, when she heard a door creaking in her back. Scanning the hallway, she noticed that Logan's door was slightly ajar, maybe to let the air circulate on those hot summer nights. She walked toward his room to close it but when she reached it, she couldn't help herself but to take a peek. The tall muscled man was on his side, facing the opposite wall, only wearing a pair of grey sweatpants. As she heard him sighing before grunting she thought he was having a bad dream. Gently, she pushed the door to open it a little bit more before sliding inside the room and closing the wooden panel behind her. She then made her way to the edge of the bed, praying no to wake the tall man up. But as she was about to put a fresh and gentle hand on his shoulder, Logan turned to face her, surprise written all over his face.

"Amy?" he whispered in the quietness of the night. "Whatcha doing in here?"

"I couldn't sleep." she told her while sitting next to him. "Neither can you as I can see."

He leaned on his elbow to see her better and nodded with a little smile.

"It's way too hot in my bedroom and Liam is snoring." she explained while pouting.

He laughed silently, amused by her behavior.

"You were the one who asked to stay in the same room as him." Logan told her, teasing her.

She snorted a laugh at his words before climbing on the mattress and pushing his shoulder for him to fall on his back.

"Oh, really!" he exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Come here, you brat!"

Extending his arms, he easily managed to grab her by the waist and pulled her toward him before tickling her, making her beg for him to stop between two hushed howl of laugher.

"And that's why you don't want to mess with the Wolverine, girl." he told her. "I'm the best at what I do, darlin'. And what I do now is tickles."

She was trying to find her breath as she couldn't stop herself to laugh.

"Are you giving up?" he asked her, almost laughing as much as her.

"Yes, please." she managed to say, still laughing. "Please, Logan, stop. We're going to wake up everyone."

He reluctantly released her as he thought she was going to part from him and maybe go back to her room; but she stayed against him, her head using his strong right arm as a pillow.

"This is nice." she said when she got her breath back, a couple of minutes later. "I could get used to it."

He smirked before burying his nose in her hair.

"Yeah." he then told her. "Me too."

Smiling, she turned her face toward him and kissed his cheek lightly. Feeling the tickles of her hair on his cheek, Logan smiled again before searching her mouth with his. Their lips met with some unexpected tenderness and she moaned at the feeling. No one had ever made her feel that way and she let herself fall into his embrace, enjoying the warmth of his muscled arms around her. Logan sighed against her mouth as she locked her arms behind his neck and he deepened the kiss. As his tongue played with hers, he released the arm that was trapped behind her head and use it to move himself on top of her. She let him do as he wanted and another moan escaped her mouth as he kissed the skin of her neck, playing with it, licking and gently nibbling. The wolverine smiled in the crook of her neck before pulling her night gown up and sliding his hands under it. His lips joined them and he kissed and caressed the soft skin of her belly with tenderness. He then took a deep breath in, as his hands took place behind her back and the complex aroma of her body hit him hard, intoxicating and addictive at the same time. The only thing he could think about at this point was that she was in his arms, defenseless, vulnerable and completely his. The way she was letting him explore that part of her, trusting him as she never had trusted anybody else before, was making him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. She knew he wasn't going to hurt her and she had surrendered herself to him as she was almost limp under him. As he parted lightly from her, his eyes locking with hers, he detailed them. They were dark blue and partly closed from pleasure and that made him smile. He kissed her some more before grabbing the hem of her night gown.

"Do you mind?" he asked her, whispering his words in a husky voice that made her shiver.

She shook her head slowly as she felt dizzy from the sensations he had made her feel.

"Please." she just said, waiting for him to pull the fabric over her head.

He helped her removing the cloth before throwing it over the edge of the bed. As her night gown touched the ground, he turned his eyes to her again and let his gaze slide along her body. God, she was beautiful. Small light brown freckles were partially covering the silky pale skin of her shoulder and upper arms, as well as her hips and his gaze followed the path they were creating on her. She was just so damn perfect and he told her so, making her blush hard, embarrassed by the way he was looking at her for the first time. Gently, as he was afraid to break her, he cupped one of her tiny breast in his large hand, making her moan as he caressed it. She arched her back as she felt sparkles under her skin; it was like fire and ice in the same time spreading from her stomach to her limbs through her veins. She groan as his tongue met the center of her other breast. He was driving her crazy and she almost let a scream out before biting her bottom lip hard. But that didn't stop the Wolverine, who increased the pace of his fingers and his tongue. A stronger wave of pleasure seized her and she reflexively grabbed the white sheet that lay under her with both hands as the molecules of her skin rearranged themselves, turning invisibles for a few fractions of seconds. Her body wasn't used to such sensations and it was almost too much for her to take it. Calling out his name in the quietness of the room, she made him stop and, as he looked at her some more, she let her muscles relax for a short moment. She released the fabric in her hands to tangle her fingers in his hair and he moved his face closer to hers before kissing her again. His hands on her shoulder blades, he deepened the kiss once more, taking his time to taste her mouth and it seemed to turn her even more. She was longing for him and she let her fingers slide from their location to his naked back, caressing him, making him groaned against her lips. She echoed him as her hands moved to the hem of his pants, playing with its waistband. Logan smiled as he parted lightly from her. He could tell she wanted more by the way she was acting, moving against him and digging her nails in his back. He was feeling the same way for a long time now and had tried to control it the best he could, but he couldn't take it anymore now; he craved for her. Quickly, he sat on the bed to pull his pants off. She looked at his back, anxious of why he was leaving her alone but he turned around and came closer, kissing her left shoulder before grabbing the hem of her panties. He locked his eyes with hers, silently asking her the permission and, as she nodded, he helped her get rid of her last remaining underwear, sliding it along her long and soft legs. The small cloth soon joined her night gown and his pants but they didn't care where it landed. Logan had already took back his place on top of her, kissing her, his hands cupping her face as if it was the most fragile thing in the whole universe. She arched her back again, feeling his entire body against hers and she sighed at the feeling. He was so warm above her that it made her shiver in anticipation. Logan's right hand released her cheek and made his way toward her right thigh. Taking it gently, he used her position to enter her slowly, knowing he was the first to do so. He didn't stop kissing her, trying to distract her mind from the pain she'll have to feel. She wasn't aware of what was about to happen and she frowned as she felt him pushing gently inside of her. He stroked her hair and her cheek before laying against her, tearing the last part of her that still stand in his way. Her muscles tensed at the pain and she abruptly opened her eyes. For the first time in her life she was scared for herself. But Logan's hand still stroking her cheek reassured her. He released her lips to soothe her with words as his body went still against hers.

"It's okay, Amy." he told her in a husky voice. "Everything's okay. Don't worry, darlin'. It'll pass."

She was looking straight into his eyes and she relaxed as she saw he wasn't lying. She weirdly felt her inner wound healing itself and her muscles relaxed again. At the second he was sure she was okay, he started moving inside her again; slowly and gently at first and then faster as she moaned, biting her bottom lip. She grabbed his right arm as his hand rested on her hip and arched her back once again, wanting more. He then stopped trying to restrain himself and gave her what she wanted. Soon, she couldn't control herself anymore and, as waves of pure pleasure hit her, her voice got louder. He joined her, grunting and moaning as he slowly got them closer to bliss; and with one last thrust, Logan opened them the doors of rapture. Amalia screamed his name, digging her nails into his right arm as she was hit by a tidal wave of sensations; her body shook hard and her molecules shifted, turning her invisible a few times in a row. Above her, Logan was frowning, his muscles tensed before the tension suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but pure bliss and he let out a sigh. The blast was over and he let his body fall at Amalia's side, eyes closed as he tried to get his breath back. She slowly rolled on her stomach, smiling before kissing his cheek lightly.

"Thank you." she whispered as she stroked his arm with her soft hand.

"Anytime." he answered with a slight smirk. "I mean it."

She chuckled and kissed him before slowly getting up.

"Where are you going?" he asked her as he sat on the bed, suddenly anxious to see her walk away from him.

She smiled before gathering her clothes.

"I'll just take a shower. I'll be back soon."

He nodded and lay back on the mattress, his gaze following her naked body as she entered his bathroom. She let the water wash the sweat off her and put back her panties and night gown before heading back to him. He welcomed her in his arm as she took place against him and sighed.

"Good night, beautiful."

"You too, handsome." she answered him with a small smile before closing her eyes.

They didn't fight the exhaustion and quickly dozed off to sleep against each other, Logan's arms protectively resting around her.

They were woken up on the next day by someone furiously knocking at Logan's bedroom's door.

"Logan!" Scott voice yelled from the other side of the wooden panel. "Logan, open up!"

With a grunt the tall professor got out of his bed, checked if he was wearing pants and slightly opened the door, for Amalia to remain hidden.

"What is it?" Logan asked grumpily.

It was almost ten o'clock in the morning and the sun pouring out of the corridors' windows made him narrow his eyes.

"Amalia and Liam are missing!" Scott told him in a hurry. "Professor Xavier is using cerebro to find them but we think they might have been abducted."

Noises came from behind Logan as Amalia got out of his bed quickly.

"What!" she exclaimed, panic in her voice as she pushed her lover to talk to the other teacher. "Why do you think my brother is missing?"

Scott stared at her, before moving his eyes to Logan's face.

"What happened?" she was screaming now as panic was increasing in her chest.

"When you and Liam were missing today, I decided to check up on you." Scott told her while pointing at her wide bedroom's door on the other side of the hallway. "But none of you were there. I assumed you had been taken too."

"She slept here." Logan just told him before giving him a random explanation. "Nightmares."

Scott was going to say something to them but Amalia cut his sentence with a raised hand before it left his lips. In her chest she could felt a void and, as she tried to use their bond to locate him, she knew professor Summers was right, Liam was missing. She made her way to her bedroom in two long strides. In front of her the room was upside down. Liam's bed was wide opened and covers were scattered all over the place. Her eyes searched the room frantically before turning to the two men behind her.

"Where is he? What happened?" she screamed as she lost ground, panicking.

Logan quickly walked toward her and took her in his arms where he rocked her to calm her. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and she was whimpering her brother's name over and over.

"Calm down, Amy." her companion gently told her, stroking her disheveled hair. "We're going to find him. It's gonna be okay, darlin'."

But she didn't react to his words, getting limp in his arms as she felt empty. Her brother's protection was her only mission and she had failed it because of her feelings for Logan. Her biggest fear had become a reality and she didn't know what to do now. Liam could be anywhere, in a dirty and dark compound like the one they had ran away from, two months ago… or worse. The memories of her life before the Xavier's institute came back to her, some part more vivid than others. She had been right. This place had made her soft and now Liam was paying the price. It should have been her. Why did they take him away from her?

"Amalia!" Logan called her name to shake her up from her shock. "Calm down. Chuck is going to find him. Now get back on your feet. Liam needs you."

Looking up at him, she nodded and tried to stand. He was right. Liam needed her and she wasn't going to help him if she had a break down. She parted from her companion's arms, her legs shaking hard, but she stood still.

"I… I'll get dressed." she told the two men while leaning against her door for support. "I'll join you in the basement."

"We'll wait for you." Logan told her before kissing her hair.

She nodded and watched Scott and her lover walking down the hall to meet with Professor Xavier. Turning around, she tried not to get caught up by panic at the sight of her room. She could see her brother had tried to fight and she was almost certain he had called her. But she hadn't heard him. She'd been too engrossed on her personal happiness to feel his absence through the bond they shared; instead she had abandoned her brother to sleep with Logan. Guilt was ravaging her guts and she suddenly wanted to puke. But she fought the feeling and walked toward her bathroom to take a quick shower. When she had washed her from the previous night sweat, she got dressed in black jeans and tank top before slipping in her skater shoes. She then pulled her hair in a neat pony tail before heading to the basement. Scott and Logan where talking with the bald professor as Kitty, Marie and Bobby where a few feet from them, waiting for the three men to give them orders. Amalia's legs were still shaking as she approached them and they all nodded before turning to her.

"I found Liam, he is still in America." Professor Xavier told her. "Logan, Kitty, Marie and Bobby are going to accompany you there."

But Amalia shook her head.

"I don't want them to be hurt. It's my responsibility; I have to deal with it myself."

It was Charles time to shake his head.

"No. You can't." he told her gently. "There are too many humans around him for you to go there alone. You're part of this school as is your brother, now. You have to let your friends help you."

She didn't have time to discuss the matter with him; Liam was in danger, so she just agreed reluctantly and turned to face Logan. He had showered and changed into his X-men uniform as well as her three other friends.

"It's gonna be okay, Amy." her lover told her once again, looking into her eyes. "We're gonna get him back."

Amalia just nodded and followed him as he led the way to a door she never noticed before. The path made way to a huge hangar where a metal plane was parked. They boarded it quickly and took place in the different seats buckling up as Logan got behind the yoke. He made a few check-ups with the flight instruments and when he was sure the passengers were ready, he ordered the opening of the hangar's roof before taking off. Amalia didn't know how long they were going to stay in the plane or where it was going. She couldn't stop to blame herself. At her side Kitty was holding her hand tight, showing her support. Marie and Bobby, behind her were silent, maybe they were sleeping, Amalia didn't know, and she couldn't bring herself to care. All her thoughts were turned toward her brother. Where was he? What was he doing? Who was with him? And what were they doing to him? She was imagining the scientific team from the French compound around him as they conducted tests on Liam. Kitty's hand squeezed hers harder as she saw Amalia's face; pain and fear giving way to anger before coming back again. Oh, how she had loved Dr. Elizabeth Lewis, the head scientist of the project. She even had thought about her as her mother in her younger days. But now? Now she couldn't feel anything but hate. Those thoughts sent sparkles under her skin and she had to fight hard to keep control of her powers. She knew she was going to turn into a weapon if she wasn't careful enough. She had to do it for her friends, or else she would hurt them. The sound of kitty sniffing next to her cut her thread of thoughts. Turning her head to the young brown-haired woman, Amalia saw that she was crying. Concerned she could have hurt her, the redhead quickly checked their locked hands but nothing was wrong with them. As she looked at her again, Kitty put her free hand in front of her face.

"Kitty? Are you okay?" Amalia asked her, worried.

The young woman shook her head once, trying to hide the tears pouring down her face.

"What is it?" she whispered, not to wake their two other friends up.

Taking a deep breath, Kitty tried to speak between sobs.

"Is he gonna be okay?" she finally managed to say. "I can't stand the thought of him being harmed."

Amalia sadly smiled before pulling her friend's face to her shoulder.

"You really care about him, don't you?" the redhead said, putting her own feelings aside to comfort her.

Kitty nodded against her black tank top.

"You two are like family to us." she said, quiver in her voice. "If someone was hurting you I'll be able to kill whoever it is with my own hands."

The sad smile came back to Amalia's lips as she stroked her friend's hair.

"Don't worry. We're gonna kill those bastards." she told Kitty in a cold voice. "I dreamt about it for so long… it's about time it happens."

The brown-haired woman nodded while parting from her friend's shoulder and dried her tears with the back of her free hand. She then turned her eyes to her window, trying to calm herself down not to worry her friends and stayed silent. Amalia squeezed her hand in hers to let her know she was here for her before turning her own head to watch Logan's back. He was quietly piloting the aircraft, focused on the instruments and the windshield in front of him. The redhead let her gaze slid along the back of his head, remembering how his hair had felt under her fingers on the previous night. She still felt guilty to have succumbed to his charms while Liam was in need of her presence, but she was split because her own needs. Watching over her brother had been her mission in the compound and during their escape, but she knew she also had to think about herself. If she didn't, she would turn into a weapon, loosing herself in violence, anger and danger and she will lose her freewill and become the tool of others. Liam had made his own mission to prevent her from becoming that and she understood why. She had been created to be a weapon, some sort of human robot that would kill on demand without questioning her orders. She was a human being even if she wasn't meant to be, and she couldn't let her creators win by cutting herself from others. The three previous weeks were proof that if she lost herself into what she had been made to be, people would get hurt; her friends, Logan and even her brother at the end. She had to behave like a normal person in order to protect her loved ones from her dangerous nature. As she took a heavy sigh, the plane started to swoop slightly and she turned her eyes to Kitty's window where she saw the ground becoming slightly closer by every second. She didn't know where they were or how many miles they had flied until they landed in an empty field. Logan pushed a series of buttons and the aircraft made different small sounds before the hatch opened in a fluid motion. The four students unbuckled themselves before getting up from their seats as the tall professor made his way to the back of the plane.

"Where are we?" Amalia asked him as she looked through the opened steel door that led outside.

"We are approximately 560 miles away from the school." he told her. "Outside of Chesterville, Ohio."

She didn't know where this town was located or where Ohio was on the American map but she nodded.

"Chuck told me that Liam was under a construction site in the area and I have the exact coordinates." he said to her, a gentle hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

Amalia nodded again before taking a deep breath in before following her lover as he walked outside. The sound of machines in the distance and a crane on the left side of the plane told them they weren't far from their destination.

"How long can you stay invisible?" the wolverine asked her, trying to come up with a plan as they started walking toward the location the Professor Xavier had given them.

Amalia shrugged.

"If I don't want to be tired and ready to fight, I'd say eighteen or twenty minutes. What do you have in mind?"

Frowning he started explaining the ideas he had come up with while he was piloting the plane.

"First of all, we would have to come as close to the worksite as we can without being seen. After that you go in there, searching for the entrance using your mutation. Then… we'll improvise."

Even if it wasn't a master plan, the four students nodded. They lacked the information about the site to end up with a perfect plan and somehow it made Amalia uneasy. She was scared something would happen to one of them. It was her duty to rescue her little brother and, even if they all though otherwise because they were part of their family now, she felt guilt as she let her gaze slide on their faces.

"When you're ready, Amy…" Logan said, frowning, his unfinished sentence hanging in the air as they reached a pre-made office about sixteen feet long by thirteen wide.

It was his way to tell her they were ok, no matter what will happen and waiting for her. Amalia nodded as guilt still crushed her guts and turned around.

"Okay. It's show time." she whispered under her breath before closing her eyes.

Focusing on her molecules she took a deep breath and her skin shimmered for a fraction of a second before they can see through her. And then, she disappeared entirely.

"It amazes me every time." Bobby whispered, referring to the countless times he had saw her do that since he knew her.

She made her way to the construction site and took a good look at her surroundings. There were workers everywhere around them and at first she thought that maybe they had the wrong location. Nothing here seamed out of the ordinary until her eyes found a tall and muscled man standing in front of the door of another pre-made room. He was staring in front of him, a bored expression on his face. As Amalia's eyes detailed him, she couldn't help to think he was attractive and that killing him was a shame. But he was working for the same people that kept them locked up in that dirty and filthy compound in France, months ago and were experimenting on them during all those years. Anger burst from her chest and she almost lost her concentration. Her molecules states shifted back and forth in a hundredth of second, making her flicker in thin air in front of the guard.

"Who's there?" he barked, straightening up and reaching for his gun at the apparition.

Amalia sighed as she didn't have much of a choice anymore. In a swift motion, she positioned herself in his back and melted her fingers in a long spike of steel before encircling him with her free arm to hold him still.

"I'm sorry." she whispered while inserting the long and thin metal needle in his neck, knowing exactly where to pierce his skin to put him to sleep without making him suffer.

The man suddenly became limp in her arms and she had to drag him in between two pre-made rooms. No one would be able to find him by accident unless they were really looking hard. When she was sure he wasn't going to wake up for a long time, she made her way back to the building he was guarding. Looking around her, she checked the workers were fully focused on their tasks before slightly opening the light grey plastic door. Amalia stayed still, the door ajar in front of her while she listened to the inside of the room. As she heard only silence, she opened the light grey panel enough for her body to slide between the wall and the door and she carefully entered the place. As she had suspected it, it was an office and it was empty. She sighed, relieved before turning visible again. She had to be careful and not use her abilities for too long or she will quickly drain her batteries. Looking at her surroundings, she saw a wooden desk on her left with stacks of papers covering it and an open laptop. In the wall opposite from the door was another entry with an electronic digital cabinet lock attached to its handle.

'_Just great._' she thought before approaching it. '_How will we open that?_'

As she was detailing it, she felt warmth in her stomach and she knew. It was the right location. If she focused enough on it, she could feel Liam's presence. He wasn't close but at least he was here. Closing her eyes, she searched for him and could roughly point where he was. The bond was pulling her senses to the ground and she guessed the door in front of her would lead to stairs or an elevator. She had the Intel they needed and turned around before disappearing once again. She made her way outside; using the same technique she had to come in before walking toward her friends. When she reached them, she slowly let herself becoming visible again not to scare them.

"He's here." she whispered, her face serious. "Liam is here."


End file.
